It Started Off As a Job
by PerpetualDusk
Summary: It was just an assignment given to him by Director Fury. Being assigned as a "bodyguard" and protecting him seemed easy enough. However, it stopped being about the mission, and started to be about Tony himself. Steve wasn't too excited to be his personal babysitter, but little did he know he started to like the idea more, but got caught in Tony Stark's dangerous, yet heroic life.
1. Prologue: The Start

**Author's Note:**

**I had this idea for a story after going through multiple Avengers marathons (yes I might have a problem, but it's a good problem) and decided that I wanted to try and make my own spin of things.**

**The first half installment of this story will be me going through the first half of all the movies and leading up to Infinity War, and then proceeding with Endgame. Of course there will be my own elements added since after all, it is my story and I absolutely love Stony.**

**There will be quotes from the movies that are indeed within the story as I felt their presence was necessary, and some of the scenes some people; if not most will be familiar with, but with practically twists. You'll see what I mean, it's a story after all.**

**Anyways, I would like to say that I hope you enjoy the story until the end. I of course do not own any of the characters here, and all right are reserved to Marvel.**

**The story is rated M for content that will appear later in the story, but for now I will tell you that it contains very foul language (because Tony Stark isn't Tony Stark without it), sexual themes, and depicts of abuse and suicidal thoughts. This is also a slash (MalexMale) so if you aren't into that you should stop reading, and you have warned.**

**Happy reading, and enjoy the journey!**

* * *

He stared at the space in front of him, alone in his thoughts. His gaze focusing on the view of the phone right in front of him, relishing the moment of him being by himself. He should be used to this since he always worked down in his workshop by himself - well, except for the other machines down there.

Why did this hurt more than it should?

Oh yea, maybe because every time he stared at the phone he knew who he was thinking of. He knew he had to make the call and tell him, but if he had to admit it he was scared.

Scared of what the other might say, scared he might not pick up. He had no other choice, but to at least try. It had been a gruesome 2 years ever since he last saw him, nightmares still plagued his subconscious. He wanted them to stop, he didn't like the weakness that followed, or the emptiness of his bed whenever he woke up. It was all his fault, and the one chance he had to fix it, he was too scared.

What changed all of this, was after Banner, or rather the Hulk, had fallen through the stairs and told him about the being known as Thanos, did his fear had gotten worse. The words circulating inside of his head.

"_He's coming.. T-Thanos is coming!"_

He swallowed the lump in his throat and licked his dry lips as he opened the phone, looking at the only contact contained within the device, memories of him resurfacing as his fingers trembled before pressing the call button.

He stood there anxiously as it rang.

And rang.

And rang.

He was about to close the phone and tell the others that he wasn't answering until he heard the others voice clearly.

"Hello?" He said, making the other male freeze, as words were caught in his throat making him unable to properly form a sentence structure to answer the other voice. He knew he should say something, _anything_, but nothing was coming out.

"Hello?" The voice said again.

"I miss you." He said automatically. It's as if the words were lingering on his lips the entire time he stood there, trying to think of what to say. He mentally kicked himself, but he knew the words were true as soon as they came out.

"Tony?" He questioned. The other wondered why, or more precisely, what he needed after 2 years of not talking to each other.

"I miss you Steve. Please come home."

Tony bit his lip to keep from whimpering after practically begging the other male to return. He didn't want it to come out that way, but he couldn't stand how long he had gone without ever working up the courage or the nerve to call Steve.

"Tony what's wrong?" Steve asked. A slight hint of panic and worry in his voice.

"Earth is in danger. An all powerful being known as Thanos is heading here and he's after these things called the infinity stones." Tony managed to say. He was trembling a bit more with each word. He told Steve about how Thanos fought against the Hulk and Thor, practically beating the Hulk to a pulp and killing Thor, his brother, and the rest of the Asgardians on the ship by using the Power Stone he already possessed. Thanos had been inside of his head for six years. Tormenting him with every passing day every since the Chitauri invasion in New York.

Suddenly, he felt a shift beneath his feet as if there was an earthquake or something relative in size that had just graced the Earth with its presence.

"Tony, who's Thanos and what-"

"I'm sorry to cut you off, but Steve wherever you are just be safe and prepare for a fight. I don't know the full extent of what we are up against, but I'm sure it's worse than anything we've ever faced. I really miss you and.. One day I hope you can come home and forgive me." He closed the phone with that last statement and exited the New York sanctum where Dr. Stephen Strange and Wong resided.

As he exited the building, Wong, Banner, and Strange were looking right in front of them. He copied their gaze and his jaw dropped. He didn't expect the cause of the earthquake like experience to come from a giant circular ring, barreling through part of New York towards them.

"We're in deep shit aren't we?" Tony stated.

As the circular ring got closer to them, continuing to stir up dust and debris everywhere causing the civilian population to scatter and look for shelter, it came to an abrupt stop. The front door latched open, and a runway soon appeared. Out stepped two foreign creatures, one who was smaller than the other, dressed in all black, white hair, saggy skin on his face, gray skin, and three fingers on each hand. The other one was much taller, heavily built and also dressed in black with shoulder platings, skin more on the greyish yellow side. As they touched the ground of Earth, the smaller one smirked a little at them and proceeded to keep his eyes on Strange.

"Time keeper, we are children of Thanos, and it would be within your best interest to turn over the Time Stone to us." He said, not breaking his gaze with Strange.

In deep shit, they were.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I hope the prologue got your attention and might have you wondering what will happen next.**

**I will say the story kicks off next chapter with a visit to the past until we get back up to this point. Also, please b****ear with me as I try to figure out where I am half the time with my "X years earlier" tidbits XD.**

**The timeline with start with Iron Man and eventually end up here, in Infinity War. Each chapter will start off with how many years earlier it is, and if there isn't one it is safe to say that we are still in that same timeline. **

**I would like to just say thank you, and finish this author's note by saying I hope you enjoy this wild ride of a story! Till next time!**


	2. Chapter One: The beginning

**Authors Note:**

**Hello and welcome to the official start to this story! Hopefully the little preview got you interested enough to continue this far.**

**I will say that I am not a pro when it comes to fight scenes, they are sadly my weak point. It's hard to describe, but I can envision the fight, but when I try to put it into words it's almost like it doesn't come out the way I want it to. Oh whale.**

**I will make a disclaimer that this story does contain dialogue/quotes directly from the movie, and all rights to those go to Marvel as well as the characters in this story.**

**Now I've kept enough of your time for now, please enjoy the actual first chapter of the story!**

* * *

**Seven Years Earlier**

"For your consideration, the Jericho." The genius exclaimed as he held his arms open wide. A few smaller missiles being launched off a bigger one and creating a disastrous and huge explosion behind him.

Tony was showing off to the military his latest invention from Stark Industries known as the Jericho missile. A highly advanced weapon capable of taking out multiple threats at once. Whatever Tony produced out of his company and supplied to the military he was always proud of, he knew it would give them an edge in battle and the weapons would be in good hands.

Or as he hoped it would.

He found himself caught in a field of explosions and gunfire. The people who were his source of protection as they drove down the long path back to the military, ended up dying from gunshots. He remembered the young male soldier telling him to stay in the car.

His fear had gotten the best of him.

He got out of the car, running frantically as he tried to take cover. He hid behind a rock, taking out his phone and starting to dial someone. As he finished dialing the number, a missile was soon within his vicinity directly off to the side. As he looked at it a familiar name he knows all too well was on the side of it.

_Stark Industries._

As his mind began to race and he started to run, the missile exploded and he was caught in the blast.

He was propelled back a few feet, landing on his back as he found it hard to breathe and maintain consciousness. He looked down at his white button up shirt being stained with red. He pulled apart the top half of the shirt, buttons popping free, as he saw where he got hit from the vest under his shirt. His vision faded in and out before the world around him started to fade to black

He could hear the voices around him, but he could also feel the pain. It was if his chest was being open and operated on. He felt every invasive instrument in his chest cavity near his heart, the pain unbearable to take. He screamed out and started squirming trying to get away from whoever was causing him this pain. He opened his eyes and saw a vast sea of white around him, a mere glimpse before a mask was put on him. His breathing was elevated as he started to panic more, but the air being taken in from his nose to his lungs started to calm him down as his eyes started to get heavier until he passed out once more.

When he opened his eyes again he found that the sea of white was gone. He looked around accessing his surroundings and found that it was very dim with very little light source. He still had the unsettling feeling in his chest, but soon that was replaced by realizing something was in his nose.

He brought his fingers up and pulled at the long skinny tube, whimpering and coughing a little as he felt it tickle past his nose, until he reached the end of tube as it got caught on some sort of bandage. With a small amount of force he yanked it out, breathing heavily. Once he got himself under control he turned to his left and saw a bowl full of some sort of liquid and a bottle. He tried to grab the bowl, but ultimately it ended up on the floor after two attempts. His eyes came up to look at the bottle and noticed something or, _someone_ to be precise.

The man was humming to himself as he was busy shaving. He tried to get up but, something stopped him abruptly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man told him.

He stopped to think a bit before he turned to his right. He saw a car battery and the wires attached to them. He followed the wires and his eyes went wide as he realized the wires stopped at him. He started to panic, fingers trembling as he ripped open the bandages around his chest, whimpering and hyperventilating as he revealed a foreign object within his chest.

He sat up slowly trying to catch his breath after the sudden shock, turning his gaze towards the man once more as he regulated his breathing.

"Who are you and what exactly is this?" Tony asked.

"My name is Yinsen. That thing inside your chest is an electromagnet hooked to a car battery that's keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart." The man named Yinsen explains, reaching down for a small bottle containing the pieces of shrapnel he pulled out of Tony's chest and showing it to him.

Tony looked down feeling a little uneasy. He zips up his jacket and sighs lightly, unsure what to do.

Just then he hears a door being open. He turns his head to the right and sees a group of people in Arabic clothing walk towards him and Yinsen.

"Quick do as I do!" Yinsen whispered before standing up abruptly, and putting his hands behind his head.

Without hesitation he followed Yinsens example as the group came to a halt in front of them. One of them stepped forward, a smile on his face as he spoke a language that Tony couldn't understand.

Yinsen on the other hand seemed to understand perfectly and talked to the man in the same language. Tony looked on in confusion as the two continued to talk. When they appeared to be done to Tony comprehension, one of the other men within the group was motioned forward. He opened a file and a picture was inside. A picture Tony was all too familiar with.

_The Jericho Missile._

"He wants you to build him a weapon. The Jericho Missile." Yinsen explained.

Tony thought to himself, knowing he couldn't build them the weapon. Not because they likely didn't have the equipment, but because they'll use it to kill not only other people. Not only that, they'll kill him and Yinsen after if he decides to build it. He knew his answer.

"I refuse."

Before he had any time to react or object, his head was plunged into what can only be described as a frigid temperature of water. He felt the shock as he struggled to escape the hands that were holding him down. He thrashed about as water was making its way through his nose and into his lungs as he was running out of air. He was pulled out abruptly and gasped for air, coughing up whatever water he could manage before his head was plunged back under. Tony only hoped this would end soon.

* * *

He sat there in silence in his thoughts, remembering what he had witnessed. Once his waterboarding was over they took him outside. Upon looking back he realized this entire time he was in a cave, somewhere in Afghanistan. That however was the least of his worries. He saw all of his weapons within crates, boxes, metal suitcases, it was a nightmare. Why would weapons he made for the military end up with a terrorist organization that called themselves the _Ten rings_. He felt his blood run cold as he looked at all the weapons his company had manufactured. When offered the deal to make the weapon again, Tony gave a smile and shook one of the men from the group's hand and said he would make it. Now he sits back in the cave thinking of a way out of here and what to do with the weapons.

"You're going to build the missile right?" Yinsen asked from behind him.

"If I do they'll kill us after I finish it and then kill everybody else."

Tony got up off his makeshift bed and went over to the file the Ten rings left him. He pulled up some schematics on the missile, walking over to a well lit area before laying them on top of each other.

"We're gonna build this." Tony said, pressing the papers together and showing Yinsen what appears to be a suit. Tony smirked at himself knowing this was their way out.

* * *

Tony spent the next hours deep in focus making the suit. There was one individual part that he had to make personally with parts from a missile. The most important part in creating this contraption was from vibranium, the rarest metal on earth. It took awhile, but Tony managed to create a miniaturized version of an Arc reactor. This version is somewhat microscopic in comparison to the one at Stark Industries. This is what is going to power the suit. Tony didn't know how much longer they were working on the suit, but eventually it was finished and Yinsen hooked up the suit while Tony was inside of it.

Just then someone appeared at the door speaking a language Tony still wasn't comprehending.

"Say something." Tony said.

"He's speaking Hungarian. I-I don't know how to speak-" Yinsen started to explain.

"Just say something in Hungarian." Tony argued. Yinsen nodded his head, pausing before attempting to say something in Hungarian. It seemed to not work as the man continued to shout and attempt to open the door. Yinsen booted up the uploading process-with Tony's help of course-and the process soon began. As the bar began to load an explosion was heard from the door that they had rigged if anyone tries to interfere with what they were doing currently. Both men heard more shouts and knew more men were being sent to their location. Yinsen turned towards the computer, realizing Tony needed more time.

"There's not enough time. I will buy you some time!" Yinsen said as he went over towards the door, picked up one of the guns on the floor from the bodies of the men littered around the door before running out the room yelling while shooting the gun.

"Yinsen what are you doing? Stick to the plan! Yinsen!" Tony yelled. He looked at the computer screen, the upload almost done. There was only a few more minutes left on the bar as he heard more footsteps. Once the upload was finished the lights diminished. The footsteps were now in the room, slowly advancing towards him and he twisted his wrist, curling and uncurling his fingers to get a feel for the suit.

As the man stepped closer to the suit Tony extended his right arm, knocking the guy across the room.

Gunshots were heard after Tony started to slowly climb off the metal bench as the gunshots had died down. He walked in front of the other men and smiled under the mask as he lifted his left arm, a small gatling gun mechanism appearing.

"My turn." Tony said as he started shooting, the men falling in front of him. He started making his way through the cave punching, breaking, and shooting his way out. Towards the exit he saw someone familiar.

"Yinsen!" Tony exclaimed.

"Watch out." Yinsen said weakly.

Tony looked to his left as the bald headed leader of the Ten rings shot a missile at him. He pulled back as a missile and fired it towards the man. He pulled back as the missile flew past him. He readied his own missile and fired it towards the man. The missile hit above the leader and rocks fell on top of him, either knocking him unconscious or killing him. Tony really hoped it was the latter as he made his way over to Yinsen.

"We had a plan Yinsen. Why didn't you follow it?" Tony asked.

"This was always the plan Stark." Yinsen said weakly. He had bullet holes in his shoulder, chest, and abdomen. The man was dying slowly.

"Come on get up we're gonna go see your family." Tony told him.

"My family is dead Stark. I'm going to see them now." Yinsen looked at Tony. His eyes slowly started to close.

"Don't waste your life Stark."

Yinsen's eyes closed and he let out his dying breath, body going limp. Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and proceeded to exit the cave.

He was met with gunfire as soon as he exited the cave. Bullets bounced off of the suit not having any effect.

"My turn." Tony said, turning on the flamethrowers on both arms of the suit.

He burned everything including the weapons that the Ten rings had managed to acquire. The shooting on Tony didn't stop even as everything and anyone was incinerated. One particular shot came from high above him, managing to shoot out one of the legs on the suit causing Tony to kneel down. He didn't let up however, still managing to destroy the entire base of the Ten rings before activating the repulsors on the legs and flying off; an explosion commencing behind him as he flew off into the sky.

He let out a cheer as he escaped, but that was short lived as the repulsors died out on him and he started to plummet towards the sandy earth. As he hit the ground there was a loud boom, and the suit came apart with Tony still inside of it. A small crater within the sand was formed after the initial crash.

"Shit," Tony said flinging bits and pieces of the now damaged suit on to the sand around him. He pulled himself out of the crater as he removed the last bit of metal off of him. The sun was blazing down on him and he could feel the intense heat on his face. He decided to take off his jacket and cover his face with it before trekking off to who knows where.

As the sun started to drop down within the horizon Tony could feel the chilly air around him. He started to lose hope of himself being found, his breathing becoming shallow.

He came back to reality as he heard a noise within the distance. As the noise got closer it was suddenly above him and he realized that the noise were rescue choppers.

"Hey! Hey!" Tony yelled, relief washing over his tired aching body as he collapsed onto his knees and held up a peace sign so the choppers could see him.

As the choppers landed a familiar face was within his view. He let himself be pulled into a hug and inspected by his best friend Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes.

"Next time you ride with me." Rhodey said. Tony let himself rest against Rhodey as he hugged him. He was glad to know he was found and that he made it out alive.

* * *

A lot has happened ever since Tony had been rescued from Afghanistan. He called for a press conference on his immediate return as he knew he had to make an important announcement. What he had told all the news reporters and journalists created an uproar, a bomb shell that nobody was prepared for.

"_Effective immediately, the weapons manufacturing of Stark Industries is to be shut down."_

He knew it would cost people a lot of their jobs, but thinking it over he knew it was the right thing. The fact that weapons he had created were being sold under the table to the enemy was unforgivable. He felt guilty that the people he supplied those to, were also people being killed by them. In the long run he knew that this was the right call for Stark Industries.

His C.O.O Obadiah on the other hand was busy trying to calm everyone down after Tony's little announcement. He was the one dealing with the press, and trying to deal with the bomb shell and let's just say he was a little bit annoyed at the surprise. He even had a little talk to Tony about this and through that talk he discovered Tony's little Arc Reactor he made to escape captivity.

After talking to Obadiah, Tony went to his home in Malibu and did what he does best. He immediately endorsed himself into his work down in his workshop trying to invent new pieces of technology. His mind was racing as he preoccupied himself with the tasks at hand, which so happened to be trying to recreate the same suit he used to escape Afghanistan, but only supremely better.

He created the Mark 1 shortly after his return-with somewhat help from DUM-E-and had JARVIS run diagnostics on the suit after he made it. There were a lot of tests Tony had to put himself through before he could even so much as test the suit. These tests included working out the flight from the repulsors and that ended up with his face planting into walls. Eventually he got the flight pattern down and decided that now would be a good time to test his invention. As Tony put himself inside the suit for a test run his AI had warned him that the Mark 1 was not ready for a test flight. Tony decided that was a perfect time to test the suits limitations, as he repulsed himself out of the garage, scraping the suit as he exited and flies off into the night sky.

Tony never felt more excited in his entire life. He was happily zipping through the sky catching a glimpse of the city and the carnival as he continued his test flight. As he looked up from within the suit he had a spontaneous idea to test the limits of the suit by flying into space.

As he was getting closer to exiting the atmosphere JARVIS had warned him that the suit could not handle the vast majority of space. Tony however, decided to neglect this and test the suit out even more. This is how the genius found himself free falling towards the earth in a suit covered completely in ice. Tony started to panic just a little bit before he focused and turned a knob on the side of the suit cracking the ice and regaining control back over the suit, flying back into the sky before he hit the ground.

After the first flight, Tony had been working with JARVIS on the Mark 2 shortly after returning; or more like falling into his home from the roof. As he was working the TV in his workshop was talking about the Grammys which happened to peak Tony's interest.

He told JARVIS to finish the suit rendering and not to wait up for him as he took one of his expensive fancy cars out towards the location of the Grammys.

What Tony expected was to fully enjoy himself, but it seems that instead he was to be surprised by some journalist named Christine. She told him how she almost believed Stark Industries was going to stop the manufacturing of weapons until she showed him horrific pictures of Gulmira. He looked at the pictures and saw that his weapons were indeed there. He tried to tell her that he had not made anymore weapons and he had not been selling under the table. She however, wanted to know if he wasn't, then who was.

Tony stopped to think for a moment until one name came to mind.

Obadiah Stane.

He hurried outside and saw Obadiah. He approached the older man and stood by his side, demanding to know if he was selling weapons under the table to the enemy. All Stane did was put his arm around Tony and smile, saying that they should take a picture together. He leaned into Tony's ear and whispered to him that he was just trying to keep Tony safe by locking him out of the business before walking away after the picture was taken.

This brought Tony's world crashing down as his mind began to race. An abundance of emotion began to plague him, but the most recognizable one came in the form of hatred.

* * *

Upon returning back home from the Grammys, Tony turned a TV on with one repulsor from the Mark 2 currently equipped, and a screwdriver as he began to tighten the gauntlet. As the TV depicted more images from Gulmira, Tony stood and aimed at the glass window in his workshop, shooting out a repulsor blast that caused the glass to shatter. Once he got a feel for the strength and damage this thing could cause, he proceeded to do the same to the other three glasses before deciding he wanted to pay Gulmira a little visit.

Tony stood in Gulmira after a few modifications to the suits fire power and adding his own weapons, and was appalled that Stark Industry weapons were indeed here.

He took it upon himself to not only blow up the weapons, but to save the people who were going to die in Gulmira because of some of the Ten ring members who were here. As he took them all down with ease— and blew up a very annoying tank that shot him out of the sky— he started to fly back towards his house in Malibu.

What Tony didn't expect were two fighter pilots tailing him as he exited Gulmira.

As he evaded and maneuvered his way through the onslaught of missiles the jets were shooting at him he knew he had to call Rhodey to tell him. Through some serious near death experience he managed to tell Rhodey that he was inside of the suit, and then had to go and save one of the pilots from falling to his death-courtesy of Tony hiding under the belly of one of the jets and a faulty parachute.

Now we find Tony here, sitting completely paralyzed on the couch thanks to a device in Stane's hand. He sat there and remembered how he had asked Pepper to dig some dirt up on Stane and concluded that he must have found out that he sent her so that's why he's here now.

He stands above Tony with a different device in his hand that he uses to clamp onto the Arc Reactor in Tony's chest. Turning it to the right as he tells Tony how he was the one who put the hit on him. Tony's world came crashing down upon hearing that phrase. He knew that Stane was behind the whole dealing under the table, but to actually want to kill Tony was an entirely different bomb shell itself.

He ripped out the Arc reactor and Tony could feel himself slowly dying, his own heartbeat like a small timer ticking down to his death. He watched Stane left and he sat there, unable to move for fifteen minutes.

He whimpered and groaned as he regained the use of his limbs. He crawled his way to the workshop, trying to stay conscious as he slowly started to fade in and out of reality. His breathing became shallow as he crawled towards his desk. He remembered that when he first came back from captivity, he also asked Pepper, his secretary, to help replace the Arc Reactor in his chest with another one. Upon removing it he told her to burn it, but she instead gave it to him as a present neatly encased in glass with a title that says "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart."

That is what is sitting up on his desk at this very moment and what could possibly save his life right now.

As Tony got closer to the old Arc Reactor he grabbed a bin off to the side and used it to prop himself up on it. He leaned up as best as he could to grab the glass encasing his "heart," but he couldn't get a grip on it as the bin slipped away under him and he landed on his back.

He felt himself slipping and the feeling of hope leaving his body. He swear he could feel the shrapnel entering his heart as the beating started to get slower and slower. He stared off into space, thinking this is how he was going to die.

A familiar sound brought him back to reality and he saw his creation DUM-E holding the old Arc Reactor in his claw. He couldn't feel anymore proud of his first creation as he gripped the glass in his hand and looked back at DUM-E.

"Good boy," Tony said weakly before smashing the glass onto the floor. He quickly scrambled and grabbed the Arc Reactor inserting it into his chest before he collapsed.

* * *

"Tony. Tony!" He heard someone say. His eyes flew open as he gasped for breath. As his vision focused he found out the person was Rhodey.

"Rhodey?! C'mon we gotta get going Pepper is in danger!" He said with urgency. He got up and went over to the garage exit.

"JARVIS! I need a suit." Tony commanded. The AI had granted him his latest design the Mark 2, and Tony turned to tell Rhodey where he was going before taking off into the night, hoping he wasn't too late to save Pepper.

Tony had his work cut out for him. He stopped Obadiah from hurting Pepper by making himself the primary target instead. He had to endure Obadiah hurling him around in the streets and practically blowing him up in a bus, and trying to choke him in outer space before suffering the same icy situation Tony's old suit did and free falled towards the earth.

By that point Tony thought Obadiah was down and he could grab Pepper and take her back her, and maybe try to have her forget her life was in any sort of danger.

However that wasn't the case.

Obadiah had survived the fall somehow and appeared behind Tony, bringing him into a vice like grip attempting to squeeze the life out of him. Tony started to panic as the suit began to crack around him before telling JARVIS to activate the flares. This served as a good distraction and caused Stane to let go of Tony so he could make an escape and phone in Pepper.

The plan he made for her was to overload the Arc Reactor. His job was to make sure that Stane was on top of the roof when she finished prepping the overload. He knew he was the target so he had to make sure he got all of Stanes undivided attention.

Tony had the element of surprise with Stane not knowing exactly where he was. He managed to get the drop on Stane from behind and reached into the neck compartment of the suit and pulled out a few wires he knew connected to the targeting system of the suit. Stane managed to grip onto Tony and threw him onto the platform above the Arc Reactor and started shooting missiles at Tony trying to end his life. Thanks to Tony disabling his targeting system this was proving to be more difficult.

"Ok it's ready!" He heard Pepper shout. His mind started to race, trying to figure out a way for him to get out of the way of the Arc reactor blast.

Stane started to shoot another missile, missing Tony again, but they were gradually getting closer.

"Now would be a good time to push that button!" He told Pepper.

"But you'll die!" She yelled back. He knew it was a risk he had to take, and if it meant stopping Stane then he was willing to make the sacrifice play.

As another missile came nearly close to ending Tony's life he looked down at Pepper. With no way of being able to get out of the blast he yelled at her,

"Push it!"

She hesitated at first before pushing the button. The Arc Reactor emitting a bright light into the night sky. Tony was taken up and knocked off to the side from the beam, taking much of the force from the initial blast.

With whatever consciousness he had left, he saw Stane get hit by the rest of the beam and was knocked out cold. He saw the man plummet to his doom into the Arc Reactor causing it to blow.

He felt himself slipping once again, his eyes struggling to stay open and the world around him starting to become fuzzy. His breathing was all hazy, and his eyes closed letting the world around him become dark.

* * *

Through the events that happened, Tony found himself at home finishing up his recovery after the battle with Stane. He didn't suffer major injuries, but mostly cuts and bruises that will heal with time. He called for a press conference to perhaps shed some light on everybody what had happened recently since everybody already knew what was going on thanks to the news. He sighed to himself after talking to Pepper and Agent Coulson— the man who Pepper had apparently scheduled a meeting with— before opening the door and becoming familiar with the flashing lights and loud voices.

As he took his stance on the podium next to Rhodey he pulled out some notecards and looked at audience in front of him before saying,

"Last time I was here I dropped a bombshell on you guys, so I think I'll stick to the notecards this time." That earned him a few laughs and he himself had smiled in response.

He started to talk about the recent events that happened before he was inevitably cut off.

"With all due respect Mr. Stark you don't possibly believe this was just some work of a body guard." The girl Christine had said.

Tony had denied the claim she was making about being a superhero and that earned him a weird look from her before she said that she never accused him of being one. That took him a bit back as he tried to regain his composure. He felt relieved that she did accuse him of that and then started to list off all the bad things about him until Rhodey had to stop him and tell him to stick to the cards. Tony nodded at him and held the cards up once more.

"The truth is," he began as he stared out into the sea of reporters. His eyes wandered the crowd and he thought to himself if he really wanted to do this. He thought about the pros and the cons, the good and the bad, and he most certainly thought that this was going to do more good than bad. He didn't really mind if he exposed himself in front of everyone, he was ready to start a new life as a superhero.

"I am Iron Man." Tony finished. As soon as the words left his mouth the crowd erupted into chaos trying to ask him questions. Tony just stood there looking into the crowd and not regretting anything.

* * *

When he returned home the lights were dim, his senses on high alert considering nobody was supposed to be home.

"JARVIS?" Tony questioned. The AI gave no response, but what Tony gazed upon were three shadows hiding in the dark near the couch.

"Who are you people?" Tony asked. One of them stepped out from the shadows and placed themselves directly in the light, letting Tony have a gander at them.

The person who stepped forward was a dark skinned male dressed in all black from head to toe, and a black eye patch on his left eye.

"Nice to see you Mr. Stark. Names Nick Fury, but just call me director Fury. I'm here to make a proposition for you called: The Avengers Initiative." Fury said.

Tony looked dumb founded before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Ok fill me in on that later, but who are they?" He pointed at the other two. Fury ushered them forward, a man and a woman were at his side.

"This is agent Natasha Romanoff. She's gonna help me decide if you're good enough for the initiative." Fury said. The woman was dressed in all black as well, the fabric hugging her very tightly and bringing out all her curves. She smiled at him, her pink lip gloss shining in the light and her red hair resting nicely on her shoulders.

"This is Steve Rogers. He's going to be acting as your "bodyguard" in a sense. Emphasis on bodyguard."

Steve was dressed pretty casually to say the least. Brown khaki jeans, a plain blue T-shirt that hugged the man tightly bringing out all his muscular features; or at least his pecs since Tony couldn't see his arms, and a brown leather jacket to finish off his appearance. Tony also took in his piercing blue eyes that shone just as bright if not brighter than Natasha's lip gloss, and his beautiful blonde hair that matched his blue eyes perfectly.

However something else seemed off, or rather familiar about him much to Tony's amusement. Upon looking at Steve more and making the man smile at him slightly out of awkwardness probably, he figured it out.

Steve Rogers, was Captain America. The man his dad cared so much about, and spent nearly his entire life trying to find instead of caring about his actual son. Tony couldn't be more displeased.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**I feel like partway through the story I rushed it, and then the other half of me feels like I did a good job. Oh whale.**

**Now that we got Iron Man one out of the way (with an obvious twist since, well, this is my story) now I can work towards the next movie. **

**I hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter and if you feel like it, you can Review. I accept any and all constructive criticism and positivity. I will continue to do my best to give you a good story that hopefully you like.**

**Until next chapter! **


	3. Chapter Two: The Mission

**Author's Note:**

**I would like to apologize in advance if this chapter seems very subpar. I think at a certain point I rushed and wanted to get this done, so it might not be my best work.**

**I hope if you've made it this far that you do enjoy the story and want to read more!**

**As always I would like to make a disclaimer that I do not own the quotes/dialogue that are directly from the movie, and I do not own the characters, they strictly belong to Marvel.**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

**Seven years earlier**

He remembered everything from his old life, despite practically waking up in a new century. The year 1945 was very much different from the 21st century, and Steve absolutely despised it.

He felt out of place not knowing anything. He woke up in a weird place that he found out was just a fake replica from past events he already took part of, and now was in custody of SHIELD, told to him by a man known as Nick Fury.

He was literally the man out of time as Fury had put it. Everything was completely different in this time period, and Steve felt so out of place he hated it. The saddest part about this time period is that he remembered he had a date with a girl named Peggy Carter.

He was informed that he had been frozen in ice for nearly 70 years, and realized that the most important date he missed, was being able to have his first dance with his best girl. He felt devastated, but there was nothing he could do about it except keep living in the current time period.

Fury kept him up to date on everything in this new era that Steve had yet to figure out, but Fury never really caught him up with technology. Fury just told him about how advanced things were in the technological industry, but never really gave him an example. He just debriefed Steve where he was, when he was, where he is, and who he is before sticking Steve into a makeshift gym somewhere in SHIELD headquarters.

It was supposed to clear Steve's mind, but it had the opposite effect when every strike he made to the punching bag reminded him of the events that had happened in his past life.

_He remembered Bucky._

His strikes started to become more fierce, the bag shaking more and the chain rattling. He began to pant harder as sweat dripped down his face, his hair all messy.

"_I'm with you till the end of the line."_

The words ringing in his head as he struggled not to cry.

_He remembered Peggy._

He increased the speed of his punches as he remembered that he had a date with her that he won't ever get back.

_He vaguely remembered the voices as they thawed him out of the ice, saying out loud that he was still alive._

Upon reaching that point something inside him snapped. His punches became harder as he delivered a right-left-right combo before reeling his right hand all the way back and punching the bag as hard as he could, opening its contents and dropping to the floor from the chain as sand spilled out. He stood there huffing, sweat dripping down his face and hair all messy, slowly walking over to grab another bag before placing it on the hook and going back to punching that said bag.

This was how Steve let out his anger, and how he coped with all his thoughts upon entering the 21st century. It amazed him how the super soldier serum was able to keep him alive after he crashed the Valkyrie. That was another nightmare he had to deal with. He could still remember the freezing arctic cold water as he crash landed the enormous ship that was going to wipe out half, if not all of New York. He knew to stop the Red skulls plan was to make the sacrifice play and drop the ship in the ocean. He suspected it to kill him, but here he is now.

"Trouble sleeping?" He heard someone say. He stopped hitting the bag and turned to see Fury standing in the doorway. He turned back to the bag and started hitting it once more, the sound echoing within the room.

"I've slept for 70 years, sir. I think I've had my fill." He replied back. As he hit the bag with his right fist, he paused for a bit and collected himself. The weight of his words still hangs in the room before resuming his workout.

Fury walked over to him and held out a file for him that must've been behind his back the entire time. As Steve looked at the file he stopped what he was doing and took it from Fury, opening it up and taking in it's contents.

"Trying to get me back out into the world?" Steve questioned as he finished looking over the file. What he thought was going to be some rigorous mission that he needed Fury to take care of, since Fury thought he was expendable, but it turns out it just had some information on this man by the name of Tony Stark.

"In a way yes, but I feel as if this will help you cope with the world more seeing as you said you've been asleep for 70 years." Fury said. Steve scoffed to himself and smiled. He started to unwrap the tape he put around his hands before looking back at Fury.

"So why am I his bodyguard, and what purpose does this serve? Why not send someone else?" Steve challenged. He didn't like the idea of being some sort of dog to carry out miniscule tasks such as this, and he felt this whole bodyguard thing was a cover up.

"Oh I don't intend to send you alone. We do have an agent who will be with you, but she will have her own instructions to carry out. You're his bodyguard because after his little Iron Man exposure I think he could use the muscle to keep him safe. I don't trust anybody else to be able to even stand Tony Stark either without wanting to kill him, or ditching his ass as soon as they meet him because he paid them millions to leave him alone." Fury stated.

He remembers from the file that Tony was classified as a billionaire along with some other choice words such as playboy. Steve knew what that term meant so he didn't need any clarification on it, but he still didn't like the idea of having to babysit.

All Steve could do was nod his head as he gathered his things. He needed to change as he felt sweaty and disgusting after working out. As he exited the room he heard Fury say,

"Agent Romanoff will be waiting for you outside when you're ready."

Steve rolled his eyes a bit and continued to walk. He wasn't looking forward to being a bodyguard, but there were some things he wouldn't mind talking to Tony about.

* * *

The ride wasn't too bad to say the least. Steve got to meet Agent Romanoff who introduced herself as Natasha. He got along with her pretty well considering he knew nothing about her. It might've been the way she carried herself and the fact she was pretty mysterious. Steve had tried to get her to open up about herself, but when he tried she just told him there was a lot he didn't need to know about her.

He looked over the file on Tony again and remembered seeing that Tony was Howard Stark's son. He felt that might be something they could bond over since Howard was one of Steve's best friends during the war-after he got over his jealous thinking that Peggy and Howard were fonduing.

Natasha told Steve that Fury would meet them there in a bit, with Tony out partying after his big Iron Man speech they would be able to get the drop on him. He asked what this was all about and she told him that Fury wanted to start something called the Avengers Initiative. She told him that he wanted to bring together a group of enhanced individuals that could protect the earth when called upon and if earth was ever endangered. Steve nodded his head and understood why he was in SHIELD custody. He was a super soldier who was overall better than the average human. He has super strength, hearing, healing and a higher metabolism. He was essentially the perfect soldier back in World War 2 when Dr. Erskine chose him. He never regrets agreeing to become a super soldier since he had saved countless lives back then.

Well, except for Bucky of course.

Steve sighed to himself as he found the car they were driving came to a stop in front of what looked like a beach house in Malibu. It hung over a cliff and gave a great view of the ocean. It was a pretty cool looking house and what Steve assumed was the home of Tony Stark.

Natasha got out of the car and nodded her head towards the building, signaling for Steve that he should get out and follow her. He opened his door and felt a gust of wind hit his face, a cool breeze of air filling his nostrils with the smell of sea salt. He smiled to himself before catching up with Natasha.

They randevoused with Fury and he seemed to have timed it perfectly with Tony's return home. He remembers the man asking who they were and Fury explained everything, and even introduced both him and Natasha.

Steve won't forget the look Tony gave him as Fury introduced him. The other male seemed to be admiring him, also mesmerized by his looks and it made him feel awkward. Nobody really gawked at Steve in such a way and it made him nervous, but he did his best to just smile at Tony. That's when the man's face fell and twisted into a form of displeasement and Steve felt even more awkward.

That all happened yesterday and Steve remembered every excruciating detail down to the T as he looked out into the horizon from Tony's house. He has to admit that this was indeed a nice house to call home, but if only he didn't feel awkward around Tony every time.

"You gonna go down there and talk to him or you going to just stare at the ocean all day?" A familiar voice told him. He sighed and turned around looking at Natasha, a small frown on his face.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea. His face displayed all signs of discomfort upon looking at me." Steve explained.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. We don't even know if he knows you're Captain America, and if he did nothing dramatic should happen. His dad was crazy about you ya know." Natasha said as she made her way over towards the kitchen, pulling out a few eggs and a package of bacon. Steve gave her a confused look before letting his face fall back to a frown.

"I feel like you should ask him to take his food instead of just helping yourself. I also do know that Howard and I got along, but I highly doubt him and I will." Despite his doubts Steve started to walk towards the downstairs garage where Fury told him Tony would be during most of his life.

"Relax I'm just making breakfast. Don't kill each other either, I still have a job to do." Natasha said, her voice getting softer as he made his way to the bottom of the stairs.

Steve expected Tony to be alone, but he was in fact with someone else. A woman with blonde hair and a black dress with matching black heels. He decided to sit off on the side for a bit and listen to the conversation the two were having, picking up on it with his super hearing.

"I'm trying to make you CEO why can't you just let me do that?" He heard Tony say. His brows raises in confusion.

'CEO of what?' Steve thought.

"Y-You wanna make me CEO of Stark Industries?" The woman said.

"There's nobody else I trust more than you Pepper. I think you'll do a great job."

Steve had started to enter the workshop where the two occupants were, pulling at the door to get it open, but sadly to no available.

"I'm sorry sir Rogers, but you are not authorized to enter." Someone said. Steve looked around the workshop, but he could've sworn there were only two people here.

"It's fine JARVIS let him in." Tony said. He saw Pepper start to walk towards the door along with Tony. She looked back at him and waved goodbye before Pepper looked at Steve and smiled. He nodded at her and smiled back wishing her a good day. With that she took her leave and Steve entered the workshop.

"What do you want?" Tony said not even looking at him as he went over to his desk and pulled up some hologram. Steve looked at the hologram and he could vaguely make out words that read Mark 20.

"I'm actually not too sure myself. Nat told me to come down here and talk to you. I guess I am your bodyguard so I should be keeping an eye on you?" Steve said confused.

"There must be something on your mind otherwise you wouldn't have bothered me considering oh, I don't particularly like you and you know that," Tony stated turning around to look at Steve with his arms crossed.

Something inside Steve seemed to have ignited at Tony's tone. He felt like fighting back with the man after his little attitude.

"Well I'm sure you don't like me, for what reason I don't know that myself. What I do know is that we have something in common." Steve started.

"Oh yea and what exactly would that be?"

"Your dad Howard."

Upon hearing those words Tony let out a sound of disgust and got out of his chair and slowly walked over towards Steve and got in his face. He was a few inches shorter than Steve, but his gaze still was sharp and didn't let the height difference intimidate him.

"Listen here spangles, my dad seemed to think you were his son more than I was and couldn't give a rats ass about me. So as far as I am concerned I wouldn't consider that something we have in common as he wished I was everything you were and more." Tony said, words laced with venom.

Steve looked down at the man and took his words into consideration, judging if they were true or just false claims. Surely the Howard he and Tony knew were completely different, and no father would treat his son in a way that Tony claims.

"I'm sure that's not accurate at all, but I'm guessing you and I knew him differently." Steve countered. Tony rolled his eyes at Steve and gave out a loud sigh.

"Ya don't say huh? Nothing about me was good enough for Howard, every time I did something good he just expected it and didn't even congratulate me on anything. I graduated college when I was 15 and my old man didn't bat an eye. You on the other hand he spent years upon years searching for you and didn't stop not even for a day all the way until his death. As far as I am concerned he saw Captain America as his son instead of me, his flesh and blood son Anthony Edward Stark." Tony explained. He scoffed at the end and went back over to his desk and began working and running diagnostics with JARVIS on the Mark 20 as Steve stood there taken back.

"Well I'm sorry that you had to go through that, and it seems we both knew Howard Stark differently. I've been frozen for 70 years Tony, I could never have taken your place as his son and I wouldn't want to." Steve said. The genius just rolled his eyes and shook his head, waving a hand behind him as if to usher Steve out.

"I'm busy leave me alone. Come back never." With a sigh Steve decided to just leave the man by himself. He opened the door to the lab and as he trekked back up the stairs he could make out the faint smell of bacon and eggs.

"Hey there, how'd it go? I see you're still alive." Nat said holding out a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs towards him. Confused, Steve grabbed the plate and looked at her.

"Thank you?" He questioned. Nat smiled at him and shook her head before turning him around towards the same set of stairs he just ascended.

"I know you don't need to eat as much being a super soldier and all so the food is for him. Might as well try and be his friend while you can so this is less awkward." She explained. With a heavy sigh Steve nodded his head and descended down the stairs again. As he got to the bottom he heard very loud music being played, and saw Tony with his hand under his shirt. The music was damaging to his super sensitive ears, but he tried to ignore it as he focused on Tony. Upon further inspection he could see that something small had been taken out and Tony then proceeded to take out what looked like a chip from the other contraption. It emitted smoke as he held it before throwing it in the garbage can and taking out a small metal case with the same chip he just threw away. He took one of the chips and placed it into the socket of the other gadget before putting his hand under his shirt again.

Steve wasn't sure what he witnessed, but it certainly peaked his interest. Tony turned around in his chair and his eyes landed on Steve. He rolled his eyes and stood up making his way towards the door before telling someone named JARVIS to turn off his music. Steve ears finally felt comfortable again, and as Tony opened the door he saw a little blue light coming from Tony's chest under his shirt.

'That must be what he was playing with.' Steve thought as he came face to face with the genius.

"What do you want? I told you to leave me alone and come back never. What part of never did you not understand? Was it the never part? Cause I can elaborate what that means, I know 70 years takes a lot out of someone." Tony rambled. Steve sighed and walked inside the door pushing past Tony— much to the geniuses displeasure— and set the food down near his desk.

"I made you food. Well Nat made you food I just brought it here." Steve said. Tony went over to his desk and took a piece of bacon from it and ate it. He particularly enjoyed it, but made sure to keep his facial expressions in check so Steve can't tell that the man was enjoying the food.

"Thanks now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to work. Now again, leave me alone and come back never." Tony said once more as he picked up one of the gauntlets to Mark 20 and started working on it. Steve could feel his annoyance peak just a little bit with the man.

"You know I'm your bodyguard right? You can't really get rid of me and I'm for sure not going to leave any time soon." Steve told him. The genius didn't like this response as he continued to work on the gauntlet for a bit before putting it on and getting a feel for it, and turning back to Steve.

"Oh yeah? What if I make you go away huh tough guy?"

Tony held up the gauntlet to Steve's face, a small sound was heard as the repulsor blast was armed. Steve didn't flinch however, he held his ground and gave a stoic face as he looked at Tony.

"Do it then. Go ahead and shoot me." Steve challenged. He wasn't afraid of Tony due to the fact that when he was pre-serum Steve used to get beat up in allies all his life. Tony was just another bully that he would stand up to without a second thought.

"Don't tempt me Rogers, I will shoot you."

"Do it!"

With those simple words Tony fired the repulsor blast, but instead of hitting Steve he shot past him and broke one of the glasses. Steve on the other had felt great discomfort upon hearing the sound of the blast. He felt himself fall to his knees and hold his ears as the memories came flooding back to him.

He remembered the weapons Hydra had used back in the war to gain an advantage. He remembered the sound and it brought him back to all the people disintegrating due to the weapon being powered by something called the Tesseract.

As Steve found it hard to breathe he felt someone shaking him and trying to speak to him. His hands trembled more as he looked up slowly and found two people in front of him.

Tony and Natasha.

They both looked at him with worried expressions, both of them with one hand on either shoulder trying to get him to pay attention to them. He realized where he was again; safe in Tony's shop— well as safe as he could be since Tony didn't like him— and not back in the war.

"Hey Steve, are you ok now?" He heard Natasha's soothing voice ask him once his hearing came back. He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded his head before standing up shakily. Both her and Tony held him up as he got to his feet and he looked into the geniuses eyes. He could see some form of regret in his eyes at what he did, but he didn't know Steve would act this way.

"Sorry spangles, I didn't know you'd react like that." Tony said. Steve shook his head slowly and looked back at Tony.

"I didn't expect your weapon to sound like a Hydra weapon." Steve explained. Tony nodded his head in understanding.

"Hey, bad timing, but how about a small vacation in Monaco?" Tony proposed. The two of them looked at him like he was crazy. He stared at both of them for a bit before putting his hands up in surrender.

"Ok so no vacation? It was just a thought." Tony said. Steve laughed a little and this caught Tony off guard. He raised his eyebrows at the taller male, but all Steve did was smile at him. Just then Tony's phone started to ring. He turned around and saw it on his desk as he made his way over there and picked it up.

"What is it Rhodey?" Tony asked. He listened to what Rhodey was saying on the other line and the only thing Nat and Steve had to go off of was him nodding and rolling his eyes. Just then Tony groaned out loud followed by,

"I have to drive all the way to Washington D.C.!? Why do I have to answer to the government for this shit?!" Tony yelled. To say the man was upset would be an understatement.

"Fine whatever, I'll see you there, but I won't be happy about this." With that Tony shut his phone and gave out a huff. He turned back towards the two and held his arms out wide to the both of them.

"Well, off to Washington we go kiddies!" He said, the two just looked at him before looking at each other and shrugging their shoulders. They might as well see what the big deal is.

* * *

To say that the reason Tony got called to Washington D.C. was a big deal would be the overstatement of the century. What Rhodey made to seem urgent— as it was because the government wanted Tony's suits— Tony knew he just had to keep shutting down senator Stern's request for him to turn in his suit.

As Stern was drawing witness to calling Stark's suit a weapon via Justin Hammer, Tony took it upon himself to find all the video footage of where the said weapon has been. Needless to say Stern wasn't happy when Tony hacked into the TV and broadcasted Justin Hammers testing to everyone in the room.

He looked back seeing Natasha and Steve within the crowd of other people, he held both of his thumbs up towards them, which earned him a smile from both occupants, before turning back towards the senator and telling him once again that he cannot have the Iron Man suit. It was a way to guarantee people's safety, and by taking that away you risk people being exposed.

As he came to that conclusion everybody behind him began to clap as Tony had kept his Iron Man suit out of the hands of the government— much to Stern's displeasure— and proceeded to walk over to Natasha and Steve, leaning down to them and whispering,

"Vacation in Monaco?"

The both of them laughed before giving in and nodding their heads and standing up, following Tony outside of the room and back towards his house.

* * *

When Tony suggested Monaco as a vacation spot, it was supposed to be a getaway spot for them to relax. What it had turned out to be was a death trap for Tony instead.

Tony knew he was dying of Palladium poisoning and wanted to make due with his life as best as he could. With Steve and Natasha along with Pepper lounging it up in the fancy restaurant just outside of the bathroom he was in, he decided that he would sneak off without them noticing to participate in the Monaco race.

What he didn't expect was some crazy psycho named Ivan Vanko to show up and basically try to murder Tony by cutting him in half with some sort of electrical whips. Without the suit he was practically useless and had to rely on his wits alone, but even with wits he couldn't stop this guy from hurting anybody else or killing him. He heard something off in the distance and turned to see a car barrelling straight at him and Vanko. He ducked out of the way as the car had crashed Vanko into a wall. When he got up he walked over to the car he saw both Happy and Pepper inside of it.

Tony couldn't tell whether Happy was trying to aim for him or for the crazy psycho, but now was not the time to debate on that as he needed his suit. However, the crazy psycho just wouldn't stay down as Happy kept ramming him into the wall over and over again with the car while Pepper struggled to give Tony his suitcase, that was actually his Iron Man suit in disguise.

When the airbag of the car Happy was using as a battering ram had deployed and stopped him from further injuring Vanko, the man started to tear the car apart with his technologically advanced whips. The door, and half of the drivers side of the car were completely gone thanks to Vanko. As Tony yelled at Pepper to just give him the suitcase, she finally just threw the object onto the floor open, and Tony then proceeded to have the suitcase adapt to his body. The new Mark 20 encasing him in the all familiar suit he had come to love.

As he tried to stop Vanko the man's technology had rivaled his own, and he was struggling to say the least. The crazy psycho was able to subdue Tony for awhile and had managed to cause serious damage to the suit itself before wrapping the wire around Tony's neck. He could feel his suit losing power as his mind started to race as he was running out of options.

Just then he realized that if the wires were wrapping around him why not just get closer to the guy? As fast as Tony could he started to wrap the coil around himself more and got significantly close to Vanko before being able to pull his fist back, and deliver a punch to the guys cranium knocking him onto his back. As Tony freed himself from the whips he walked over to the man before pulling out what appears to be an Arc Reactor from the contraption on his chest. This had powered his technology the same as it powered Tony's. He crushed it in his hands as Vanko was being taken away by the authorities.

"What exactly was that?" He heard someone say behind him. He turned around and saw Steve behind him. He stepped out of the suit as it molded back down into a suitcase, grabbing and then walking over to him.

"No time to explain, let's just.. Let's just go home please." Tony said out of breath. Steve just nodded his head and followed Tony back to the private jet that brought them here.

* * *

When they got home nothing really got better. After the events of Monaco, Tony continued to go down a self-destructive spiral and it didn't help that he started to not care anymore due to his palladium poisoning. He didn't even care that the Stark Expo was coming up since he most likely wasn't going to be alive for it, so when Natasha came downstairs with an alcoholic drink he decided to ask her what to do. She thought about it for a bit before telling him that she would most likely party.

Which is exactly what made the situation even worse.

Tony was shit faced drunk and was not listening to any reason at all. Steve and Natasha had both been at the party themselves, and Steve could not believe that this was happening. When he asked Natasha about it she admitted that she told him to party, but she wasn't directly telling him to do that and thought he was asking rhetorically. Needless to say Steve wasn't very happy.

He tried his best to tell Tony to get everyone to leave and that the party was over, but when Tony told them that the party WAS over he said the after party was going to begin soon. Steve sighed to himself and joined back with Natasha who just shrugged.

This is when things started to become more horrible than they already were.

Rhodey eventually showed up to Tony's house and was very livid to know that he just stuck his neck out for Tony so the government didn't take his suit, and here he was, partying and getting drunk. So Rhodey decided that he would enter Tony's lab and put on one of his suits to put an end to the party. He told everybody to get out and they all scurried off rapidly, even Natasha and Steve didn't want to be around incase anything went wrong and they started to make their exit as well, or more precisely Nat suggested they should go back to Fury immediately.

Rhodey tried to plead with Tony to stop what he was doing and when that didn't work they ended up causing a lot of destruction in the house. They broke through multiple walls and lot's of glass as the fight escalated back out in front of the public. Tony could feel the eyes watching him, silently judging him, but he didn't really care. He was dying and wanted to do whatever he could to go out living his life. He screamed at them and drove them all away and Rhodey got up and held out his hand, a repulsor blast ready. Tony in return had readied his own and was screaming at Rhodey to just take the suit as they both fired at each other, meeting in the middle and creating a beautiful, yet destructive, explosion that ruined the interior of the house. With that, Rhodey just left, suit and all as he drove back to the military base with Tony's suit.

Tony however, didn't care at all.

* * *

We now find our Iron Man superhero— or rather hungover genius— sitting at the top of a donut shop happily eating donuts, in his Iron Man suit, without a care in the world. Well, happily until he heard a familiar voice.

"Excuse me sir, I'm going to have to ask you to exit the donut!" Fury yelled at him. Tony sighed and decided to get whatever this was over with, so he could go back to dying of palladium poisoning. The cause of this coming from the exact thing in his chest that was keeping him alive.

The Arc Reactor.

As he and Fury stepped inside the shop, his eyes caught someone sitting inside a booth near the window, who he swore he didn't see upon grabbing donuts earlier.

Steve Rogers.

Steve saw Tony and Fury make their way over to him and gave them both a two finger salute with a smile on his face, as Fury sat across from him and Tony next to him.

"So, guessing the party didn't go too well?" Steve said sarcastically. Tony just looked at him and sighed before rolling his eyes. He wasn't really in the mood to bicker with the other male. Not yet at least.

"Listen if I'm being honest I don't want to join your super secret boy band." Tony said as he looked at Fury.

"No no no, see? I remember, you do everything yourself. How's that working out for ya?" Fury replied, studying Tony's physical features as he noticed something crawling up his neck.

Steve chuckled a little at Fury's reply knowing full well that Tony wasn't really doing the best all by himself. Tony turned towards Steve and looked at him with a gaze that said 'you better shut the fuck up right now.'

"I'm sorry I don't wanna get off on the wrong foot, but am I supposed to look at the patch or the eye? Honestly I'm a bit hungover. I'm not too sure if you're real or-"

"I am very real. I'm the realest person you're ever gonna meet," Fury interrupted as he pulled down Tony's collar before saying, "that's not looking too good."

Just Tony's luck that Fury would discover his palladium poisoning and now even the super soldier next to him knew too. Even more reason for him to hover around Tony.

Footsteps were heard from behind Tony and before he could turn around there was something cold and metallic pressed against his neck, and a small jolt of electricity had startled him.

He looked back at the person who did that to him and he saw Natasha standing there in her signature all black fitted jumpsuit, a smile on her face as she had some sort of silver flash drive replica in her hand.

"Lithium dioxide. It counters palladium poisoning, but it's not a complete cure for it." She explained to him as she put the device on the table and took a seat near Fury.

"Seems to be working. However I wish you told me the truth when I asked you why you let him party in the first place." Steve said, smiling at Natasha. She gave off a small chuckle and smiled back at him.

"Sorry Steve, but there's things I'm not authorized to share. Right now what I can tell you is that we should go back to Malibu, go to Tony's house and get him to work on a replacement for the Arc Reactor in his chest. The Stark Expo is coming up and Justin Hammer seems to have something big planned, and Vanko is also working with him." Natasha explained.

Tony looked at her, eyes wide and also significantly confused.

"How did you get all this information?" Tony asked quickly. She gave him a smile and simply said,

"Secret agent job works out in the end."

Tony sighed to himself before looking at all three of them. He hated to admit it, but with Nats info and the fact that there's a crazy psycho named Ivan Vanko on the loose he would need to be fully prepared.

"Alright, let's get this shit over with, shall we?"

* * *

Tony was shocked that the answer to his palladium poisoning was right under his house the entire time. His dad Howard left Tony some algorithms and other personal things for Tony to discover. Tony opened the book as he looked at all the algorithms that were too complex for a normal human brain to comprehend, as Steve set up an old tape recording to a projector. Much to both their curiosity they wanted to know what was on it.

What neither of them expected was Howard Stark, in his own personal way telling Tony that he loved him. Tony was in Howard's words "his greatest creation." The words struck a chord within Tony as he never really knew his father was capable of saying something so nice towards his son.

After the video, Tony and Steve went back to the geniuses workshop where he had JARVIS pull up a hologram of the whole state of California. He inspected the hologram and started picking away bits and pieces until he had only the sphere that was in the center of all of this. He collapsed his hand over the sphere before expanding them and having the inner part of the sphere cover the whole workshop. As Tony looked around he smiled to himself before picking up a smaller sphere; an atom you would call it, before putting the atom back and collapsing the hologram. A single shiny atom was left remaining.

"Congratulations sir, you've discovered a new element." He heard JARVIS say. He looked at Steve and held the atom between them.

"You know what this is?" Tony questioned. Steve looked at him with a confused look.

"According to your AI, I'm sure he said it was a new element." Steve said unsure. Tony sighed at him before chuckling as well.

"No spangles this is Vibranium. The rarest metal on earth. Same stuff your shield is made out of." He said starting to walk towards a wall.

"How are we going to get vibranium? Like you just said it's the rarest metal on earth." Steve voiced his concern. Tony looked back at him with a smile on his face as he stopped near the wall. It took Steve a few minutes to understand what Tony was getting at until it hit him.

Inside the walls were heaps of vibranium.

"We've got work to do spangles, let's get to it."

* * *

The interior of Tony's home had never been more damaged even after the fight with Rhodey. The floor was cracked and so were the walls, signs of their earlier sledgehammer activities so that Tony could be able to set everything up and extract the vibranium from the walls, and reflect it to the Arc Reactor sitting a few feet away from him.

The creation of the element was a success, but his workshop has seen better days after everything had been cut in half thanks to the reflection of the beam they used.

After the element was created, Tony put the new Arc Reactor in his chest— tasting coconut and metal as he put it— then he and Steve came up with a plan.

The Stark Expo was tonight and millions of people were going to get hurt. Steve was to randevou with Nat and get everybody out as fast as he could, and have Natasha locate Vanko. Tony would fly in and make an appearance to try and access the situation, and steal the spotlight of course. Steve called Nat to tell her the plan and told him she'd meet him outside of the Expo.

With the plan in motion they set off. The Expo was underway as Justin Hammer was done giving his weapons presentation of robots he created to aid the military branches of the Navy, Marines, Army, and Airforce. His ace in the hole? A remodel of one of Tony's suits courtesy of Colonel James Rhodes, who was currently inside said suit, called the War Machine.

This is when Tony made his appearance and landed in front of Rhodey and Hammer. The crowd went wild and started to cheer. He waved at the crowd as he made his way over to Rhodey and whispered,

"A lot of people are going to get hurt."

"Tony please don't do this. Not here." Rhodey warned.

"Listen, Hammer is working with Vanko and a lot of people are going to die. We need to get them out of here." Tony explained.

A sudden chill ran up his spine as he heard guns lock onto him, a pit in his stomach as he looked at the robots behind Rhodey with their weapons pointed at him. Then he noticed the machine gun on the back of Rhodey's suit locked onto him as well.

"Is that you?"

"No that's not me Tony I don't have control." Rhodey said, panicking. He wasn't sure why the suit had a mind of its own, but he knew that Tony needed to get away from him and everybody.

"Tony go! Fly, get out of here!"

Wasting no time hesitating, Tony used his repulsors to fly away, as the guns started to fire at him. As he maneuvered through the sky the bullets pierced through the glass above the audience and cascaded down towards them. As Tony exited the Expo and flew into the sky with Rhodey and most of the robots following him, he called Steve.

"Rogers, make sure to get everybody out. If the robots are any threat towards any of the civilians take them out." Tony told him as he led the robots away from any form of civilian life and tried to destroy them as he flew.

"Already on that Tony." Steve replied. He ushered people out of the door making sure everyone was safe, not wanting to leave one single person with the possibility of their life being taken. He would never forgive himself.

"Nat do you know where Vanko is?" Steve used the communication device in his ear to call Nat.

"Yea I'm on my way right now! I'll let you know when I get there!" She yelled. It sounded like she was busy fighting something or some people as he heard multiple grunts of pain on the other line. He shook his head and smiled as he knew she could practically handle herself.

He broke himself out of his thoughts as he saw one of the robots looming outside. He saw a kid wearing an Iron Man mask and he immediately raced for the kid as the robot looked down at the kid, preparing to fire. It felt like time was slowing down and the clock was ticking as he got closer to the kid, the kid raising his hands as an imitation to Iron Man.

He saw the colors of red and gold as Tony landed in front of the kid holding his hand up as the robot looked up and locked onto another Iron Man. Tony shot the robot in the face before looking at the kid.

"Good job kid." Tony said and then looked at Steve.

"Stop slacking." He said, his words were more of a joking matter instead of one conveying ridicule before he had to ascend into the sky to lose the tail or Rhodey and the killer robots.

Steve just shook his head and chuckled to himself before looking at the kid and offering his hand to the young boy.

"Let's go find your mom."

Tony knew he had to take the robots out and get a secure location to take care of Rhodey. He decides after causing the rest of the suits of destruction to explode inside of the metallic sphere he knew from the hologram, he took Rhodey to a botanical garden. As he landed he heard a familiar voice in his ear.

"Tony, Steve I'm here. Vanko is gone, but I'm trying to hack into Rhodes suit and give him control back. Try to stall for a bit." Natasha said. He nodded to himself as Rhodey landed behind him. As the machine gun started to shoot at Tony once again he sprung into action and knocked Rhodey down onto the small stream they were both in as he held the machine gun off to the side for as long as he could. It was only a few more minutes until the gun stopped firing and the suit went slack.

"Finished it. Congrats Iron Man you have your best friend back." She said from the comm device in his suit.

"Thanks agent Romanoff. Cap, how are you doing?" Tony asked.

"I got everybody out, the coast is clear Iron Man. If I may ask when are you gonna call me by my first name?" Steve inquired. Tony chuckled to a bit before replying,

"Who knows. Could be the day I die or in the near future. We'll see." He laughed a little bit as he heard Steve sigh to himself.

"I hate to break this up but, Tony you gotta get going. This is a death box for you. The drones are gonna be here any minute." Rhodey said as he got up from his location.

Just then a few of the spare robots had landed all around them, guns still locked onto Tony being the primary target. Upon having Rhodey back the two worked together to take apart and destroy the remainder of what work Vanko had created from Hammer tech.

"That's all of them right?" Tony asked as he looked at the carcasses of destroyed tech.

"Hang on boys you've got one more, and it looks like a really big one." Natasha told them.

As the suit landed, it stared at both Tony and Rhodey before the faceplate lifted, revealing one Ivan Vanko.

"Huh, big and ugly wants to show his ugly face now?" Tony snarled.

"This is where you lose Stark. This is where you die." Vanko said before closing the faceplate and bringing out his enhanced whips.

The fight itself had been somewhat brutal in the form of Tony and Rhodey working together to try and fight Vanko, much to the destruction of both of their suits. Tony's Iron Man suit was missing a majority of the coloring on the chest plate, replaced by grey slash marks, and Rhodey's suit had his machine gun cut off and suffered the same marks on his suit that matched Tony's. As the whips were wrapped tightly around the neck of both Tony and Rhodey, an idea sprung up in our geniuses head.

"Hey Rhodey! You wanna be a sidekick!? Send me your application!" Tony yelled at his best friend holding out his hand, repulsor blast readied.

"You sure about this!?" Rhodey yelled back as he got the message and mirrored Tony.

"You ready!?"

"Alright man, do it!"

The two shot their repulsor blast at the same time just like the fight they had at Tony's house, the same ball of destruction forming in front of Vanko before it built up enough energy to explode. A gust of wind causing the trees and plants to sway violently for a bit before calming down and returning to a neutral position.

Tony and Rhodey looked in front of them, Ivan Vanko lying there presumed to be dead by the two friends.

"Alright let's head back." Tony said. His blood ran cold as he heard the sound of laughter. An ominous beeping sound came from behind him, before suddenly it was all around him coming off of the bots. He looked back to see Vanko laughing at him, a red blinking, loud beeping dot on his chest.

"You lose." He said as he continued to laugh as the blinking and beeping sped up.

"They're rigged to explode. We have to go!" Tony yelled at Rhodey. His friend nodded before the two took off into the sky.

"Spangles where are you!?" Tony yelled into the comm device.

"I'm still at the Expo. What's wrong Tony?" Steve asked concerned.

"Just stay there! JARVIS, I need Steve's exact location and put all power into the thrusters." He ordered his AI, and zoomed through the sky hoping to make it in time.

"Tony?" Steve started to worry. He wasn't sure if there was something he should be worrying about, or if something happened to either him or Nat. Which seemed unlikely given their locations. Just then his super soldier hearing picked up a very faint beeping sound. He looked down and about a few inches from where he was standing it was rapidly getting faster.

His hearing then focused on the sound of someone coming close to him. He turned and saw Tony land near him, wrap his arms around Steve tightly and whisk him off into the sky as the beeping he heard earlier was replaced by an explosion. He held onto Tony tightly as well, scared that if his grip wasn't tight enough he might fall to his death even with Tony holding onto him for dear life.

Tony had taken the liberty to place him and Steve on top of a roof of a random building he had no idea the name of, and let go of Steve once they were both safe.

"Dear god spangles you almost died back there." Tony said, looking at Steve with concern in his eyes. Steve looked at him and he felt his heart pounding. He shouldn't feel too shaken up considering he did crash the Valkyrie into the ocean and put his life on the line. This however, almost going out with a close proximity explosion, that was different. He was at a loss for words.

He felt two hands on his face that lightly tapped his cheeks causing him to blink and return to reality.

"Hey, you're safe alright. I'm here, you're fine Steve." Tony told him. It took a few moments for Steve to process what Tony had just said before he looked at the man in his caramel brown eyes full of worry before smiling.

"You just called me by my first name. You called me Steve." He breathed out. He laughed a little and smiled more.

Tony just rolled his eyes before giving a smile of his own. What can he say, he liked Steve's laugh. It was sort of infectious and the way his eyes sparkled in the moonlight made his smile all the more adoring.

"Yea, I figured if things like that were going to happen I should call you by your first name. Also, I saved your life and you're welcome. " Tony smirked as he pulled that one over Steve's head.

"Thanks Tony, I appreciate it." Steve said, his smile never fading.

"Ugh, get a roof you two." Someone said off to the side. The two turned their heads and saw Rhodes still inside the war machine suit just standing there, arms crossed and smirking at the two.

"Uh, to my recollection we were here first, so how about you go get a roof of your own." Tony retaliated. This caused both Steve and Rhodey to laugh in response.

"In all seriousness, I need to borrow the suit since my car blew up. Is that ok?" Rhodey said in a way that didn't really sound like a question. Tony's immediate reply was,

"No."

"I wasn't asking," was the only reply he got before the faceplate shut and he took off with the suit.

Tony shook his head before looking back and Steve.

"Hey spangles, how about you come up to the Stark tower in New York huh? You're my bodyguard right? Would be weird if my bodyguard didn't travel with me and had to stay with that asshole Fury." Tony commented.

"I'll be sure to tell him that." He heard Nats voice say into his ear. He laughed at her reply and smiled at Steve, shrugging his shoulders.

"So what do you say, Steve?"

Steve pondered to himself for a moment, putting his hands in his pocket and rocking back and forth on the balls and heels of his feet, gaze settling on Tony as he smiled.

"Sure, sounds better than being kept in SHIELD custody where I know nothing about the 21st century." Steve replied. Tony raised his eyebrows at the blondes ending response.

"Really? They just thawed you out, and stuck a pin in it so they can get back to it and just shoved you out into the world?"

Now it was Steve's turn to raise his eyebrows at Tony's choice of words. Before he could speak, Tony had cut him off and put his right arm around his shoulder.

"Pop culture reference. How about I teach you about that and technology so that way you're not so out of place. After all, you've been asleep for 70 years." Tony smiled and patted Steve's back. Steve smiled at Tony and nodded his head.

As the two sat on the rooftop ledge of whatever building they were on, Steve's smile never fades as Tony caught him up with everything new within the 21st century, and making sure to take the time to explain with great detail about the technological side of the era since Steve was practically a caveman in that department.

Maybe this bodyguard job wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Oh man, there are so many scene changes it's absolutely insane. I am so sorry for how many there are, and I'm sorry if this felt more rushed than I thought it was.**

**I tried to capture the main points of Iron Man 2, but when I tried to do that there was just so many things to take here and there, that it ended up coming in a huge chunk of information. If you got lost at all, please forgive me. I promise and will try to make the next chapters from here on out as best as I can.**

**I do hope you at least enjoyed the read, and that you're ready for next chapter. **

**If you want to, please leave a review to tell me how I'm doing! I accept all constructive criticism and positive feedback. **

**See you next time!**


	4. Chapter Three: The Avengers Initiative

**Author's Note:**

**Alright, so, we are getting to the good parts of the chapters that I have written that I like. I will actually share with you guys that I have written 9 chapters already (I have been busy).**

**I don't have much to say except that all characters, quotes/dialogue belong to Marvel, and I only only the idea for this story.  
**

**I hope you enjoy the story so far and if you do, please be sure to review, or simply keep reading the chapters I put out.**

**Enjoy, and see you at the end!**

* * *

**Five years earlier**

When Tony had originally brought Steve to Stark Tower, he didn't expect the blonde to be so mesmerized by the building itself. He found Steve's facial expression a little amusing, as he stood in awe of the building that towered over every other structure within New York. Now when Steve had entered the building, it was a completely different story.

He had seen what Tony's house in Malibu looked like, and he found that the interior of the top floor was just as breathtaking as the one back there. He could see everything from up here as he opened the sliding glass doors and stepped outside, the heat from the sun warming up his body, and the wind in his hair, as he soaked up the sight of all of New York.

Tony teased him about it as he's never seen someone look so starstruck before, and made a comment about what Steve had been doing all these years. That earned him a glare from the taller male as he damn well knew what Steve had been doing.

He told Steve about the many floors within the Stark Tower, some of which were occupied, as they were used for research and development, and the rest were vacated and didn't have anybody, or anything housing them. He decided that since Steve would be a part of his life in one way or another, he would start turning some floors into livable housing arrangements. Preferable for when the rest of the Avengers decided to live here, or, perhaps, even add a new training facility, that not only would benefit the team, but one that suited the super soldier.

When asked if there was a gym within the tower, Steve had a wide smile on his face, and his eyes lit up upon Tony nodding his head. He rolled his eyes at the super soldier and told him to drop his stuff on the floor and he'll figure out what to do with it later. The super soldier nodded his head before grabbing his duffel bag of gym clothes and hopping into the elevator.

It occurred that through his excitement, the blonde actually didn't know what floor the gym was on since Tony only confirmed he had one. A familiar british voice was heard as JARVIS was happy to help Steve locate the gym, starting the elevator on it's descent to that particular floor. It still took Steve a while to get used to having a disembodied voice in the form of artificial intelligence speak to him through the ceiling, or wherever JARVIS was, but he could get used to it.

He didn't know how long he was down in the gym, his mind had been clouded by all the memories that still plagued him from his past life as the punching bag took the full force of his strength. The sounds of his fist colliding with the bag reverberated, and the chain rattled on the hook as the bag tried to withstand how hard Steve was hitting it.

This was supposed to help him cope with the loss of the people he knew back in 1945, but it only caused him more pain as his nightmares returned. He felt like he was relieving everything over again, the crashing of the Valkyrie, and worst always came in the form of him remembering Bucky, falling to his death off the train they had managed to take control of. Even if they won the war, he lost everything he ever cared about back in the past.

He grit his teeth as he hit the back with his right, then left, then right again. He could hear someone calling out his name, and it only added to the fire burning deep inside of him. As he heard his name loud and clear, he reeled his right arm back and punched the bag hard enough to break the chain and the bag, sand pooling onto the floor.

He turned around as he was panting heavily, sweat dripping down his face and his messy blonde hair getting into his eyes. He saw that Tony was the person who was calling him, and as he saw the geniuses eye wide, hands held up with caution, he calmed down a bit. Tension diminishing also immediately upon Tony's presence being noticed.

"Sorry I just.. What did you want?" Steve panted out, going over to his duffle bag, grabbing his water bottle, and began to chug the cool, refreshing liquid.

"Well now that you're all calm, I wanted you to come up to the roof. There's something I want to celebrate with you and Pepper." Tony said. Steve raised his eyebrows in question as he put the water bottle down, curiosity getting the better of him.

"What are we celebrating?"

"Stark Tower is the first official building within the state of New York, in Manhattan, to be 100% self sustaining thanks to yours truly," Tony said to him, taking a bow at the end of his speech. Steve giggled a little at the other male as he was being silly.

"How exactly did you do that huh?" Steve questioned. He will admit that he was absolutely impressed by what Tony pulled. He wanted to know how he managed to disconnect an entire building like the Stark Tower, off of the electrical grid that the rest of Manhattan was using.

"Easy, I just used an Arc Reactor and plugged it into the electrical system the tower was on, ultimately taking it off the need to rely on electricity. Now go take a shower and meet me up on the roof, we got champagne!" Tony exclaimed as he happily ran his way to the elevator. Steve watched him wave in his direction before the doors closed. Steve rolled his eyes and grabbed his duffel bag before heading towards the elevator, and hopefully finding a floor with a shower.

As Steve found himself back at the original place on the roof, he saw Tony, and Pepper, already engaging themselves in the champagne Tony was so excited about earlier. He shook his head as Tony held out the glass towards him, taking it, and then partaking himself in a sip of the fancy drink.

"Couldn't wait for me huh?" Steve said, a small smile on his face as he looked at Tony directly. The genius just shrugged at the other male before taking another sip of his own champagne.

"Ya know Steve, we should also be celebrating Pepper handling her own as CEO of Stark Industries. This tower wouldn't even run smoothly if it weren't for her." Tony had said. Pepper just shook her head and denied the accusation Tony was making. She had done a substantial part in her promotion to the highest managerial spot, but she couldn't have done it without Tony helping her along the way. "Well, handling 12% of her job," he added, which earned him a slap on the shoulder, but he shrugged it off, snickering lightly.

"I think we should also celebrate you calling me by my first name for the second time." Steve replied, chuckling at the end. Pepper found herself giggling as Tony just rolled his eyes, sipping his drink in response.

"Sir, Agent Coulson wishes to speak with you." JARVIS suddenly said. Tony scoffed a little.

"Can you just tell him I'm not in? Currently celebrating here," Tony replied, a little bit upset that his celebration needs to be cut so soon.

"Sir, the telephone. I'm afraid my protocols are being overwritten."

Tony pulled out his Stark phone, and an image of Coulson's face appeared, and began to speak to him.

"Stark, we need to talk." Coulson said. Tony looked at Steve, who shrugged his shoulders in response at the geniuses gaze. Tony rolled his eyes before holding the phone to his face and speaking,

"You have reached the life decoy model of Tony, please leave a message."

"This is urgent," Coulson added.

"Then leave it urgently," Tony said just before the elevator door opened, revealing Coulson. Sighing to himself he put his phone into his back pocket and forced a smile.

"Phil! Come on in." Pepper greeted him. Tony raised an eyebrow in confusion, following Pepper as she made her way over to Coulson.

"Phil? I'm pretty sure his first name is Agent." Tony said. He heard a small snort from Steve, the blonde finding it comical that the genius, no matter how smart he was, thought someone's first name was Agent.

"Nice to see you. As for you, Mr Stark, I need you to look over these." Coulson said, holding out a file to him. All Tony did was look at the file with an unamused facial expression.

"I don't like being handed things," he said simply, a smug smile appearing on his face.

"Lucky for us, I do," Pepper replied, taking the file from Coulson in exchange for her glass of champagne, "so let's trade." She took Tony's glass of champagne and gave him the file, murmuring inchoherintly to himself before walking over to Steve, and opening the file for the both of them.

As the two males studied the content contained within, there was a lot more than what Tony himself was expecting. It contained information on multiple people; people including Bruce Banner, Thor and his brother Loki, Agent Romanoff, Steve Rogers, and something known as…

"The Tesseract," Tony said, closing the files, "it was taken." He turned around to look at Coulson.

"We need your help Tony, Loki stole the Tesseract and-"

"Last time I checked I wasn't qualified for the Avengers initiative, thanks to Agent Romanoff." Tony said, cutting Coulson off. To say the least he was shocked that in her report, she specified how Iron Man was allowed to be a part of The Avengers, but he himself, Tony Stark, was not.

"Look, I don't know Agent Romanoff's reasoning for writing what she did, but she had a good reason so I can guarantee that. Now please, Mr Stark, I need your help as well as Captain Rogers." Coulson pleaded.

"Well I'm not one to turn down a good fight, so if you need me then I'm in," Steve said, a small smile on his face as he looked at Tony for his response.

"Ugh, fine! If Caps in then I guess I'm in too." Tony groaned. Coulson nodded to both of them before gesturing to the elevator and walking towards it. The two other males in the room followed in pursuit.

"Pepper, I want you to go on vacation somewhere nice. I don't care where, or how expensive it is, just do it. Don't wait up for me!" Tony yelled as the elevator doors closed. He sighed to himself as he felt the elevator descend. Whatever he was about to get into, he sure hoped it wasn't going to turn out bad in the end.

* * *

"I think I wanna meet this Dr. Banner guy, seems like him and I would get along just fine." Tony said, smiling at Steve as he looked over the contents of the file again. Steve shook his head at the genius as he was being silly. He knew Tony would be interested the moment he saw him, due to the fact that Banner was also a lover of science like Tony. Steve, Coulson, and Tony were aboard the Quinjet. A super fast enhanced version of a regular jet, but suited with advanced forms of technology and more complicated forms of navigation. On the bright side, it was a little more roomy.

"I think we should focus on the Tesseract, Tony. By we, I mean you." Steve replied. Tony rolled his eyes at the other male before fishing out the info on their objective. The Tesseract was in simple terms a blue cube, harboring existential power within it. Apparently it had caved in on itself in SHIELD headquarters, completely submerging, and destroying the facility. Fury must be pissed off about that one.

"We'll be arriving at the base within 40 minutes, according to the pilots." Coulson said, coming over to them. Steve nodded his head as he looked over all info regarding Banner, Thor, Loki, and even Natasha. He would look at the Tesseract data later, but he gave that job to Tony since he would know more about this stuff than he would.

"Ya know Cap, it's an honor to meet you, officially I mean." Coulson said. Steve looked up at him with an amused expression on his face, one eyebrow raised, and a half smile present.

"I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping." The man started. Steve felt a little awkward at what he was hearing, but still kept the amused expression on his face as he looked down once more. He could hear the genius next to him, trying to hold in his laughter.

"I mean, I was.. I was present while you were unconscious from ice. You know, it's really, it's just a.. Just a huge honor to have you aboard." As Coulson finished his sentence he had Tony howling with laughter. As the agent kept making the situation worse, Tony couldn't contain his laughter at how awkward the situation must be. He caused Steve to laugh a little, shaking his head as well.

'Who knew Tony had such a contagious and adorable laugh?' Steve thought to himself. Even if he mentally kicked himself for having those thoughts, he smiled wider, feelings of joy spreading through him thanks to the man next to him. Coulson cleared his throat, and the two of them looked up at him once they calmed down.

Within a few minutes the trio found themselves landing on an aircraft carrier called the helicarrier. When the Quinjet landed, and the door opened, they found a familiar face waiting for them.

"Hey boys, long time no see." Natasha said casually. Steve smiled at her, walking down the landing strip next to her, while Tony gave her an eyeroll.

"Ya know Agent Romanoff, I still am curious as to why Iron Man is allowed to be an Avenger, but I, myself, am not." Tony said standing in front of her. She simply smiled at him before turning around and walking, leaving the two males to catch up.

"Listen here Stark, when you're playing in your suit of armor you're very strong, highly intelligent, and great in combat," she kept walking, "take off the suit, you're just you. Tony Stark, a genius who's not so fit for combat, and not strong. I had to separate the two of you, and Fury decided that instead of Tony Stark being on the team, he would be able to provide the Avengers with equipment and a place to live." She topped in her tracks and turned around to face him, the same smile still settled on her face. "Do you see why I wrote what I did?".

Tony was at a loss for words, so he just nodded his head. He didn't know what to say to her, really, but upon the clarification he realized how hard her words hit home. He didn't want to admit it, but he was nothing without the suit. He was just gold ol' Tony Stark; genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Iron Man was strong, but Tony Stark, he was weak. As his gaze shifted, he saw another adult male on the helicarrier, who's nervous habit or rubbing his hands together, mixed with his brown hair, only reminded Tony of one person he read about earlier.

"Bruce!" Tony yelled. He excitedly ran over to the other man, catching the other males attention by startling him, as Steve and Nat watched him introduce himself.

"I see you two are getting along great. Bodyguard job is not so bad now huh?" Nat said, a light smile on her face as she looked at him.

"Eh, it's growing on me. I kinda like it I suppose," Steve replied, his own smile mirroring hers. She nodded her head and started to walk towards the inner part of the helicarrier.

"We should get inside before she goes airborne. Gonna be hard to breathe by then." He took in her words and didn't bother to question them. He simply followed her lead as he felt the ground beneath him shake. He figured that the structure was starting to take off, just like Nat had said. The loud sound of a wind turbine had been picked up by his enhanced hearing. As he sighed to himself, continuing to walk forward, he hoped that this mission would hopefully bring together a team. As much as Steve liked being around Tony, he wondered to himself, what if this was his chance to regain all the things he lost since his time in the ice?

* * *

As the enhanced individuals got themselves acquainted with each other, Fury had debriefed them about the situation. Not even a few minutes later, they were notified that Loki had suddenly appeared in Stuttgart, Germany. Steve was dispatched by Fury to head with Natasha in the Quinjet, saving him from Coulson; who was happily fangirling, and telling him all about his Captain America trading card collection. He didn't mind the agent being a huge fan, he just thought there was something else he could do besides just stand there and be idolized. As he got his orders, he went towards his own personalized locker that had his updated, yet still old fashion, Captain America outfit and traditional shield. It felt good to be back to say the least.

The initial fight with Loki proved to be pretty easy for Steve, if he was being honest. It was as if the god wasn't really putting up a fight at all, despite him making a scene about how mankind was used to kneeling down, and needing a leader. Of course this didn't stand well with Steve since he never really liked bullies. Tony, on the other hand, was fashionably late as Steve had done most of the work in subduing the trickster. He did help in making Loki surrender after he repulsor blasted him a few times, and held up every weapon the suit had installed pointed at him.

The trip back to the helicarrier was what became more intense. Lightning and thunder had started to fill the sky, grey clouds covering the entirety of their flight. Steve and Tony looked back over to Loki, seeing him squirm uncomfortably as the lightning kept appearing in the dark sky, and the loud claps of thunder were occurring more frequently.

"Scared of a little lightning?" Steve had asked him.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki said.

Just then something- no, _someone_ hit the Quinjet. The ramp was ripped open as a man with a red cape, and long flowing blonde hair grabbed Loki, and took off with him into the night.

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked as she tried to stabilize the Quinjets altitude.

"You think he's friendly?" Steve asked. He saw Tony's faceplace shut, walking towards the open ramp and staring into the dark sky.

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract is lost," Tony replied as he turned, getting ready to jump.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve yelled.

"I have a plan. Attack." He jumped out of the jet in hot pursuit of the mystery man, hoping to get Loki back.

Steve sighs to himself and nods his head, walking over to grab a parachute and strapping it on. He walked over to the ramp and prepared to jump, but was stopped as he heard Natasha say,

"I'd sit this one out Cap. These guys come from legends, they're basically gods."

Steve chuckled, shook his head, and said,

"Sorry Widow, I can't sit this one out. Also as far as I'm concerned there's only one God, and he doesn't dress like that," before jumping out of the jet himself.

When Tony found the man who kidnapped Loki, he wasted no time in tackling him mid flight, sending them towards the woods below the cliff they were on earlier. When the two separated, Tony was able to get a much closer look at the man and realized it was Thor, Loki's brother, and Asgardian prince from the file Coulson gave him.

"Do not touch me again!" Screamed Thor.

"Then don't take my stuff." Tony countered. He didn't know what possessed Thor to steal his brother from the rest of them, but he knew that without Loki they had no idea where the Tesseract was.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with. This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice!"

"He gives up the cube, he's all yours. Until then," his faceplate came down, "stay out of my way." He turned his back, and slowly walked away from Thor.

"Tourist." He muttered.

The Asgardians super hearing had helped him to pick up the last bit of words Tony muttered to himself, and he was not the least bit happy. In one quick move, Thor had thrown his hammer, Mjolnir, at Tony. As the genius turned around, he was knocked through some trees. Tony wouldn't be lying to himself if he wasn't a little bit peeved at the nerve of this guy.

"Okay," was all Tony had to say before he retaliated with a few moves of his own.

As Mjolnir traveled back to its owner, allowing Tony to stand up, he sent a repulsor blast towards Thor, knocking him through a few trees as well. Tony smirked to himself as he gave the God a taste of his own medicine. As Thor got up, he raised his hammer to the sky, lighting encasing the weapon of the Asgardian, the sound waves crackling in the air as he sent the full force of the lighting towards Tony. He took the full force, but in return it seemed to have an added effect.

"Power at 400% capacity." JARVIS said.

"How bout that," was Tony's reply as he sent another repulsor blast from both of his hands, and his chest, effectively pushing Thor back and onto his knees. As the Asgardian regains his footing, he swings the hammer and flies into the sky with Tony meeting him in the middle.

As Steve parachuted partially away from the battle, he saw that the two engaged very heavily in combat. As he trekked his way towards the area, he saw the destruction they caused. Trees were broken down, snapped in half, and craters formed on the earth's soil as the two battled it out. As Steve looked at the two getting ready to go for another round, he grabbed his Shield, throwing it at the two of them, and successfully bouncing between both of them, causing them to look at him as the shield returned.

"That's enough!" He yelled. Steve jumped down from where he was and made his way slowly towards the other two males.

"Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here-"

"I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes!" Thor yelled, cutting Steve off.

"Then prove it! Put the hammer down-"

"Um, yeah, no. Bad call! He loves his hammer," Tony started before he was hit with Mjolnir again, and propelled into another set of unbroken trees.

"You want me to put the hammer down!" Thor yelled, taking off into the air, leaping at Steve. In response, the super soldier raised his shield and Mjolnir connected with it. A tiny, non destructive light, emerged from the connection, knocking Thor back a bit as Steve stood up completely unfazed. The three of them looked at each other before Steve spoke up.

"Are we done here?" They stood there for a bit, a silent mutual respect for one another had formed that neither choose to talk about, as the sound of a Quinjet dropped in their location to pick them up.

* * *

Steve took it upon himself to go digging through the helicarrier to find more information about the Tesseract. He had read through the file, sure, but he needed to know WHY the Tesseract was so important to Fury. He walked into the lab where Tony and Bruce were stationed, hoping either of them could enlighten him on the situation. Instead all he got upon visiting, was Tony poking Bruce with an electric screwdriver trying to get the "other guy" to make an appearance. Steve's nerves were on high alert by that point.

You see, Steve's job was supposed to protect Tony and make sure _he_ didn't get hurt. He wasn't supposed to make sure the genius didn't try to get everyone else hurt. Just when he started to maybe like his job, he found himself hating it, for just how dumb Tony acted just now. Putting everybody else's life on the line, just because you wanted to test someone's anger level, was something he didn't sign up for.

After leaving the lab and debating on whether to just sit in the lobby to wait for instructions, he turned back around and explored the helicarrier. He stumbled upon a room where most of SHIELD's database had been stored. He tried to open the door to test if he had access, but he was denied. He figures what's behind this door must be something Fury didn't want any of them to find out, and that prompted him to use his super strength to pry the door open manually.

The lock had popped, and Steve opened the door, shutting it behind him as he entered the room. He walked over to a computer that was booted up, and what he saw on the screen made his blood run cold. The Tesseract was part of a phase 2 operation that SHIELD wanted to put into motion; one where they would harness the Tesseracts power to create weapons. It brought him back to when he faced off against Hydra and how they harnessed the Cubes power to disintegrate their enemies. He looked off to the side and noticed one of the weapons sitting there, the lone copy of phase 2. He grabbed it and immediately made his way back towards the lab where Bruce and Tony had been, finding it occupied by the rest of the team, but not caring as he enlightened the members of the room that the Cube was to be used as a weapon by SHIELD.

The room became a cauldron of swirling emotions, mixed feelings, and disagreements among the members of what was supposed to be "The Avengers." They were at each other's throats bickering to and about each other. The tension was starting to escalate and they could all feel it, however, none of them really could stop it as it progressively got worse. The worst of the tension came from none other than Tony and Steve. Maybe it was just the fact that because everybody else was trading insults at each other, or maybe it was due to the Scepter's light, shimmering in the background as they continued to bicker. Regardless, Steve's stress levels were elevated. They were supposed to work together as a team, and yet, here they were wanting to practically kill each other.

As the bickering got worse, Tony and Steve started to trade insults with each other now. If Steve was being honest with himself, it was the heat of the moment. He was super stressed out with everything, and he lashed out in anger. He didn't mean the words he spoke to Tony, and he hopes Tony didn't mean the words he said either.

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?" Steve said right in Tony's face.

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," Tony replied, a smirk plastered on his face as he challenged Steve's intense glare with his own.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. You only fight for yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down the wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I'd just cut the wire." He looked at the blonde as if what he said was complete idiocy, and in return, he managed to piss off the spar spangled man even more.

"You may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero-"

"A hero?! Like you?! You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!"

Steve smirked a bit before getting slightly closer to Tony. They were mere inches apart from each other, blue eyes glaring into caramel browns, not once taking their eyes off the other. He wanted to hit him so bad, but Steve knew better than to hit a man while he's down. He knew without the suit, Tony was vulnerable, basically fragile, and that wasn't fair. So, in a low voice loud enough for Tony to hear he said,

"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds."

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man," he challenged back, not letting Steve intimidate him in the slightest.

"Put on the suit."

Suddenly the "team" found themselves being rattled around, an explosion occurring on the helicarrier. They were notified that one of the engines were blown out, and the two males looked at each other again before Steve said,

"Put on the suit," in a voice laced with panic. Tony wasted no time and gave an affirmative "yup," as he and Steve made their way outside to take care of the engine problem.

* * *

The engine problem was fixed, but the damage to the helicarrier and the team had been done. It rocked them to their core, scaring them in a way that felt their very breathes were being constricted, unable to breathe, or cry for help. Neither Tony nor Steve knew what to say either.

Steve and Tony sat around the large circular command table, listening to Fury give them a speech, as the two males were lost in thought; Steve being deeper in his thoughts than the other, laced with guilt as he looked at the Captain America trading cards, the ones Coulson told him about, stained with the agents blood. He stared at them intently knowing the man gave his life doing his job, even if he died trying to take Loki on by himself. The God of Mischief had escaped sadly, and had taken the life of the agent before doing so. Tony got up abruptly, huffing out an annoyed breath as Fury finished his speech, and walked back to the area where Coulson's body was a few minutes ago. Steve gave himself some time to think, continuing to look at the cards, before letting out a shaky breath, and following Tony.

He found the genius staring at the empty space in front of him where the containment cage(made for Hulk, but instead was used to lock Loki up) used to be. He sighed to himself as he walked backwards for a bit before turning around, standing next to the wall where Coulson's dried blood stains can be found.

"He was an idiot." Tony simply said. Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He didn't understand why the genius would say that, simply because the man gave his life doing his job.

"Why? For believing?" Steve countered, referencing Fury's speech, remembering how he said Coulson died believing in heroes. Tony looked at him and let out a long sigh, shaking his head and crossing his arms.

"No, for taking Loki on by himself."

"He was doing his job."

"He could have waited.. He should have waited.." Tony trailed off. He was so defeated. He didn't know the agent personally, but to think the man gave up his life, and still believed that the Avengers could form struck a chord within him. He didn't want to admit it outloud, but he knew that this idea Fury had, could possibly save the world as they knew it.

"I know it's hard Tony, believe me I know," Steve started, walking towards Tony. He placed his arms on the other males forearms, looking into his eyes with sincerity. "I've lost a lot of soldiers back then and-"

"We are _NOT_, soldiers Steve!" He yelled, gripping the super soldiers shirt tightly. A small tear managed to escape, and rolled down his cheek as he looked into the blondes blue eyes, trying to find comfort by gazing into them. "I'm not marching to Fury's fife. There's no way in hell I'm going to do that, not after all the shit he's put me through."

Steve just smiled, understanding where Tony was coming from. He wiped the stray tear away with his thumb, and allowed his hands to rest back on Tony's forearm. Tony smiled back a little, as mundane as the gesture was, it showed that despite how angry the two seemed at each other; the words they insulted each other with, meant nothing.

"Neither am I. He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Now Loki needs a power source if we can just-."

Tony's brows furrowed and looked down at Coulson's dried blood, deep in thought as he tuned out Steve. He felt something was off at the mention of a power source. Then it clicked.

"He made this personal." He said, looking back at Steve. The blonde furrowed his brows before shaking his head and speaking again.

"That's not the point."

"No that's exactly the point. Think about it. He hit us right where we live, why?" Tony started. Steve thought about it for a moment before it finally clicked.

"He wanted to tear us apart-"

"Exactly! Now think about this. The situation at Stuttgart seemed to be pretty underwhelming right?" Steve nodded his head slowly, still trying to comprehend what he was getting at. "Now, Loki wants the whole world to see, he needs an audience." Tony started pacing back and forth before he continued. "When he's done his name will be plastered on the side of a building and-" He quickly stopped mid sentence. His eyes widened as he turned to Steve and blurted, "We have to get back to Stark tower," before running off to get his Iron man suit.

It finally clicked in Steve's mind that Tony immediately put together Loki's master plan. It amazed him, but amazement could be saved for later. Right now, he had a world to save.

As Steve put his suit back on, and Tony took off early towards his tower, he ran around looking for Natasha. Since he couldn't fly, he needed her skills of piloting the Quinjet in order to make the journey. He saw that the infirmary door was open, so he slowed down his pace until he stopped at the door. Upon hearing footsteps stop in her location, she turned her head and saw Steve.

"Hey Nat, think you can drive the Quinjet?" Steve asked.

"I can help her." Someone else said inside the room. Steve looked further into the room, looking to the left, and saw a man dressed in all black wiping his hands with a towel.

"Who's he," Steve pointed at him. Natasha simply smiled at him.

"This is Agent Clint Barton. Clint, this is Steve Rogers, Captain America."

Clint nodded at Steve as he finished wiping his hands, and threw the towel back into the bathroom he came out of.

"You have a suit?" Steve asked. Clint nodded at him, slightly confused as to why he would ask such a question.

"Suit up," was the immediate reply after, as Steve made his way over to where the Quinjets were located.

Natasha and Clint had caught up with their fellow Captain, making their way into one of the Quinjets. An agent was tempted to usher them out, but Steve wasn't having any of it as he kindly told the agent to 'shut up' in his own personal way, before the trio made their way to Manhattan.

* * *

When it really mattered, Steve and Tony meshed extremely well. Their coordination was a thing of beauty, a dance if you will call it that. They understood each other in what needed to be carried out, and what enemies they needed to focus on.

The Chitauri were coming in massive numbers, swarming out of the giant hole in the sky above Stark Tower. They were not the only thing to come out of the portal, however, as giant leviathans flew out into the Manhattan sky. They were outnumbered greatly, but that didn't mean they were going to give up.

With the world on the brink of destruction, they all came together when it mostly mattered. Thor had returned to them after he fell to the earth, his brother trapping him in Loki's- Hulk's- cage, and helped the team fight the Chitauri on land and air.

Another surprise encountered them in the form of none other than Bruce Banner. Tony was right after all, Bruce would return to them when the team needed him the most. He graced their presence with "the other guy," known as the Hulk. He took down one of the giant leviathans Tony had so graciously brought over to them, and as they grouped up, Steve couldn't help the smile on his face when he heard Tony say the words, "Call it Cap."

This was his team, his vision of what he wanted to accomplish with the rest of these individuals, finally coming true after their shaky start. He gave them each orders on what to do to make sure they got out of this in a victory, and to make sure nobody got hurt. They were risking their lives for the world, and nobody knew who they were, except that they were the good guys. It didn't matter if they were to die here, what mattered more was the fate of the world.

The invasion was progressively getting worse, more of these extraterrestrial threats were pouring into their world. Natasha had given them some hope when she radioed into all of them that she could close the portal with Loki's scepter, and upon hearing that Steve told her to close it.

"Hang on Cap, I got a nuke coming, it's gonna blow in less than a minute," Tony looked at the portal as he spoke, "And I know just where to put it." Steve's heart started to beat faster as he saw Tony fly past them with the missile on his back. He knew the risk Tony was about to take and to say the least, he didn't like it one bit.

"Stark, you know that's a one way trip right?" Steve shakily said. He was scared, and the words from their fight a few hours ago were still ringing in the back of his mind.

"_You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play."_

He watched as Tony averted the missile from hitting the tower, barely scraping it, and ascended into the portal. He bit his lip, realizing that maybe Tony was the guy to make the sacrifice play, and Steve prayed he got to see the man again so he could apologize.

His gaze was so fixated on the portal, that he almost didn't notice that the Chitauri around the city started to go limp, and the leviathans ceased their flight pattern, crashing into random buildings. He heard the explosion come, but couldn't see it. What's even worse is that he couldn't see Tony.

His blood ran cold as the realization hit him. Tony had successfully saved all of Manhattan, giving his life in the process, but Steve lost everything. He lost another friend, and he lost the chance to say his apology to the genius. He felt himself shaking heavily, emotions surfacing, coursing through his body, and with a shaky breath he told Nat, "Close it."

Nat didn't hesitate even for a split second as she attached the tip of the scepter to the Tesseract, effectively closing the portal. Steve felt his world collapse, guilt crushing him as he dropped to his knees looking towards the ground.

_He was supposed to give up his life to save everyone. He was supposed to lay down the wire and let the other guy crawl all over him, not Tony._

He felt defeated, crushed and devastated. He felt empty on the inside, and the shaking never died down. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Thor pointing at the sky.

"Look!" He shouted. Steve casted his gaze upon the sky, feeling a warm sensation wrapping around him; as if the warmth he felt had arms holding him to make sure he didn't go cold, reassuring him that Tony was indeed falling from the sky. However, the smile on his face faded as he realized Tony wasn't slowing down. He was going to crash into the earth hard if someone didn't catch him.

"Thor can you catch him! He's gonna hit the ground hard, please!" Steve pleaded. Thor nodded his head and started to swing his hammer, but a green blur stopped his action. The two saw Hulk grab Tony from the sky, skid down the side of a building, landed on his back all while still holding Tony close to his chest. Once they were on the ground, Hulk tossed him to the side, causing the man to land with a thud, and lay his side.

Steve rushed over to Tony, panic coursing through his body and finding it harder to breathe. He pushed Tony onto his back, and took in a shaky breath. He noticed that the Arc Reactor's light had faded, the once bright blue light, was now a faded grey.

Thor had knelt down as well, ripping off the faceplate, and revealed Tony's face to the three of them. His eyes were closed, and Steve's fingers trembled as he touched Tony's cheek, taking in the geniuses lifeless form. He dropped his head down to his chest as a sob racked his body.

A loud roar from the Hulk broke Steve out of his wallowing, as the lifeless form of Tony suddenly sprang upwards, panting heavily.

"Oh, Jesus, what the hell happened? Nobody kissed me right?" Tony questioned.

His body tensed as he felt arms wrap around him, holding him tight as they sobbed.

"I thought we lost you. I'm so glad you're ok.." Steve whispered. Tony smiled and wrapped his arms around Steve, hugging the blonde back, and enjoying the sweet embrace.

"As touching as this is, gentleman, we're still not done here." Thor said, breaking them out of their embrace.

They remembered Loki was still in Stark tower, and when they found him he was crawling out of a small crater on the floor. He was dazed and confused, as if he had been repeatedly smashed into the floor. He was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody shortly after by Fury anda new agent named Maria Hill. After that, Thor said he would be taking both Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. With no objections from anybody, not even Fury, the Asgardians had left.

Steve and Tony were walking side by side as the rest of the team started loading up their vehicles, ready to call it a day and go home. Tony made a beeline to Bruce, Natasha and Clint, saying something to the three of them, before they all got into Clint's car and drove off. As Tony returned back to the super soldiers side, and eventually stopped in front of Tony's car, the genius just realized he couldn't let Steve go.

"Hey, how about you come back to my place in Malibu. We'll stay at the Stark Tower for a bit, I'll have Pepper take care of the cleaning when she gets back, and then we'll be off. What do you say?" Tony rambled. Steve nodded his head immediately, without any form of hesitation.

"Absolutely, I would die if I had to go back into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and not have an actual home." Steve said, smirking at the genius as he got into the car. Tony rolled his eyes, his own smile splayed across his face as he entered the car himself.

"Yea, well, be lucky I'm generous," was all the genius said as he started the car and began the drive back towards the tower.

The ride itself was filled with a comfortable silence, but the guilt still ate away at Steve. He almost lost Tony today, and the thought scared him. He knew his original assignment was to be Tony's bodyguard; to protect him at all cost, and he almost failed. However, it wasn't the thought of failing the mission that really messed with Steve, it was the thought of being in a world without Tony. He didn't really think about it at first, but when did this stop becoming about the mission, and started to become more about the time he spent with Tony?

He will admit that he did enjoy the fighting on the helicarrier, even if the words they spoke weren't true, and they stung more than they were supposed to, he found a positive outcome. Tony ignited something inside of him that he grew fond of. The genius fascinated the blonde, and he craved more of Tony. Mission or not, he never really wanted to be away from the genius if there came a day Steve didn't have to be his bodyguard anymore. The mere thought of not being around Tony, had caused his hand to unconsciously find the others, and play with his fingers.

"What are you doing Cap?" Tony questioned. He didn't really mind what the blonde was doing, it kinda intrigued him. In fact it was kinda adorable, but he didn't need to admit that outloud. He mentally kicked himself for having such a thought, but he graciously turned his hand over, palm exposed as the other male started running his fingers over the smooth flesh.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything I said back there and.. Just the thought of me almost losing you scared me." Steve admitted. He laced his hand with Tony's, blushing a bit at his actions. It felt.. Weird yet relaxing holding his hand. He kinda liked it.

"Jeez, full of surprises today aren't we? Don't sweat it, Capsicle. For what it's worth I'm sorry too." Tony said. He squeezed Steve's hand at the end of his apology. To the genius, it didn't feel wrong to hold his hand. There was a comfort in being this close to the blonde, and after their very rocky start, he enjoyed this new side of Steve he hasn't fully experienced yet.

"This isn't.. Wrong..? Right?" He heard Steve ask.

"You mean holding hands? Why would it be? It's not like you're sucking me off while I drive, now that would be a whole new level of-"

"N-No! It's just back then people would think what we're doing is.. Wrong." Steve said softly. This time Steve squeezed his hand out of fear. "Back then in 1945 people would judge you if you weren't like the normality of men who were with women. Being interested in a man could even get you killed, if anybody found out about it."

"It's the 21st century Steve. We've come a long way since then. People don't even give a shit about this stuff. Well, some do, but that's mostly the religious people. You're fine Steve, don't be a pussy." Tony kissed Steve's hand, continuing to drive with a smile plastered on his face. Steve just blushed and laughed at Tony's words, and his actions, enjoying how the genius made him feel.

He would never admit it outloud, but Steve was pretty grateful to be assigned Tony's bodyguard by Fury. He found himself falling for the genius more as the day went by, and he couldn't be happier.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I would like to apologize if there was way too many scene breaks (which is a weird thing to apologize for).**

**I've been pretty swamped with trying to make sure these chapters are up to par, and that my writing reflects that. I do hope I am doing a good job however, and those of you that have gotten to the end are enjoying the story so far!**

**I accept any and all constructive criticism and positive feedback. If you enjoyed the story, please, leave a review if you want to and I hope to see you again for the next chapter!**

**Cya later!**


	5. Chapter Four: The Attack

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, hello there it is me again. For those who don't already know my upload schedule, I upload twice; Friday and Saturday (subject to change).**

**I would to shed some light on this chapter before I let you read it's contents. This chapter will contain elements from Iron Man 3, but will promptly follow Winter Soldier. The reason for this is because when I had done my notes on what I wanted to take from Iron Man 3, and what I wanted to mix with my own ideas, my brain was on overload.**

**There was a lot of things I had captured from the movie, but I figured the one important thing I wanted to take away was the scene you're about to read now. I apologize for anybody who _wanted _to see where I would go with Iron Man 3, but I settled for something easier.**

**I also ran into an issue of when I started going into Tony and Steve relationship, how would I capture that if the settings were set years apart earlier in the past. That is the least of your worries, but if anybody would like to give me ideas I can promptly try to fix all the chapters up to the nine I finished.**

**Long author's note aside, I don't own the characters, dialogue/quotes, all of that goes to Marvel. I own the idea of the story.**

**Without further delay, please enjoy!**

**[Edit: 3/19/20. Upon investigating and editing the chapters I have written, I found a crucial error here. The events in this chapter carry on to later events that happen back to back, right after this one. So to clarify, instead of this just being set in Winter Soldier timeline, I had to make this two years earlier so that it was taking place during Age of Ultron as well. Very confusing stuff, but I assure you this cause no actual damage to the plot. It was just a minor error that I failed to realize. Everything is the same, but just know that this chapter does have elements from Iron Man 3, and is apart of the Winter Soldier time line, but ultimately falls into Age of Ultron.]**

* * *

**Two years earlier**

_He gazed upon the vast majority of space, unable to turn away, terrorized by what he saw._

_A mothership staring at him, harvesting the vast majority of Chitauri making their way through the portal and into New York._

_He felt cold._

_Even with the Iron Man suit protecting him, he felt the functions of the suit shutting down; as if his entire body were being paralyzed by the frigid air around him. _

_He felt scared._

_His suit shut down, and he let go of the nuclear missile towards the massive ship. He couldn't advert his eyes from the threat, even when the ship blew up and an explosive fireball was being formed._

_He felt his eyelids getting heavy, his Arc Reactor flickering before turning, his breathing stilled, and he felt himself falling through the portal he came from. _

_He barely made it through the portal as it closed, the image of the powerful armada disappearing, as his eyes closed, and his body began falling towards the Earth below him._

Tony sprung forward, panting heavily as he felt his skin crawl. He got up from his bed, falling to his knees, crawling away from the once comfy mattress, and situating himself into a corner. He brought his knees to his chest, and his hands gripped his head. He rocked back and forth finding himself unable to breath properly. He could feel the frigid air of space as his panic attack got worse.

"Tony.." He heard a voice sound off, as if it were far away, vision too blurry to make out the arms trying to comfort him.

"Tony..!" It said again, as he felt the hands move his from their space on his head. Gentle fingers found his chin, lifting his head up as his vision started to correct himself.

'_Steve..?' _He thought. He saw the worried look of the other man on his face, mouth moving, trying to get him to calm down as his breathing never got better.

"Tony, it's ok. I'm here. Just breathe, follow my example, you can do this." Steve assured him. The blonde started to take in deep breaths, holding them for a bit before exhaling, long and slow. He repeated this until he saw the genius copy his example, shaky breaths being taken in and exhaled out until he finally calmed himself.

"Steve.." Tony said shakily. He gripped his shirt tightly, struggling to get up on his feet by himself. He regained his composure after a short while, feeling the panic attack slowly fade into a memory. He started to walk towards the stairs, desperately wanting to go to his workshop, but a hand on his wrist stopped him.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked casually.

"Downstairs, I have work to do," Tony spoke, taking his hand from the others grasp and bolting it out of his room to his workshop. He could hear Steve trailing him, and felt his hands grasp his wrist once more. He turned to the blonde and said,

"Let me go."

Tony's eyes conveyed fear, though, the brunette wouldn't admit it outloud. Steve could see right through the facade he was placating; he appeared calm and collected, by his eyes spoke volumes.

"You just had a panic attack, and the first thing you wanna do is.. Work?" He questioned. The genius rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of frustration. He needed to distract his mind; his work down here being the only thing that can fulfill that.

"Yes, now let me go. I need to do work on something and you're distracting me." Instead of complying with what Tony asked of him, his grip never loosened. He didn't want the genius to work himself to the bone, at least, not at this hour.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" Steve suggested. Tony's eyebrows shot into his hairline, as if Steve grew a second head.

"At this hour of," he trailed off looking for a clock, "3 am?" Steve chuckled and shook his head at how silly the caramel eyed genius was being.

"I mean later on today. How does 10 o'clock work?" He proposed. Tony couldn't come up with any excuse as to why he couldn't go. Well, he _could_ make an excuse of why he _didn't_ want to go; he had work to do for SI, Iron Man suits to be made, and he generally just wanted to lock himself away and deal with this the Stark way. Usually this involves copious amounts of coffee and self-destructive tendencies. He internally sighed and looked into those piercing blue eyes. They conveyed emotions of care, genuine care that Tony hasn't come to know for a long time. He wasn't good with these types of things, in fact it made him squeamish. He was known for his playboy ways, he didn't do relationships. As he stared into Steve eyes, he was convicted; he really just wanted to stay in his workshop, even if he felt something for the blonde, he wanted to avoid this situation entirely with work.

"Alright fine. Can I at least work until then?" Tony said, finally giving in to what Steve asked. His stomach started to do backflips when the blonde smiled at him, baby blues shining down upon him with happiness. Steve nodded his head, letting go of Tony's wrist shortly after.

"Can I come down and watch?" Steve asked.

Tony simply nodded his head, walking down the stairs with the technically younger male in tow. While Tony worked on a new design for the suit dubbed Mark 42, Steve took the time to doodle on a spare sheet of paper. He didn't know whether it was blueprints already in use, or just spare paper lying around, but he busied himself by sketching the man next to him. He captured the way Tony's hips curved, the way his wavy hair would sit neatly on top of his head, how his pants hugged him perfectly, the way his lips pursed when he was focused on his work, and how his shirt always fit nicely on him, bringing out his muscles. Steve wouldn't lie if he said he was starting to grow more attached to the genius, but he wouldn't admit it out loud. For the remainder of the day the two simply kept themselves busy. Tony even told Steve he had worked on his old motorcycle, making a complete replica from spare parts in his lab. The blonde smiled, happily accepting the gift from Tony.

It didn't take long for the hours to pass, considering they were preoccupied with each other. Steve continued his sketches, and the genius finished up the Mark 42. As the clock got closer to ten, they started getting ready for the much needed excursion Steve had proposed for them.

* * *

The two males found themselves dressed semi-casually, sitting in the very way back part of the restaurant, with a window seat that gave them a good view of the Malibu streets. Tony really wasn't in the mood to go to a formal restaurant, so they made a compromise to go semi-casually. The blonde was just happy to be able to take Tony out, seeing as he spent his entire life couped up in his workshop. He looked up from his menu and smiled at the man in front of him. He was looking through his own menu, brows scrunched as he tried to figure out what to get. He looked up and met those dazzling baby blues he adored so much.

"Is there something on my face?" Tony said. Steve chuckled in response and put his menu down.

"No, you just seemed so deep in thought." He said nonchalantly.

"If I may ask, why did you wanna go out today? Not that I mind, food is food, but I could be working right now."

Steve sighed and looked at Tony more intently, caramel eyes conveying feelings of boredom, laced with some form of paranoia.

"What did you dream about?" Steve asked.

"Ah, I see why you asked. You wanted to get me away from my lab so you could hound me questions. I see your game plan Rogers, frankly it's disgusting, but I applaud the effort." Tony rambled, a little annoyance in his voice as well.

"No, no I was just.. Worried that's all," Steve replied, not wanting the genius to get the wrong idea. He really did want to hang out with Tony, he just wanted to make sure he was ok.

"I'm fine Steve, it was nothing more than a nightmare, simple as that. I'm over it." Tony wasn't one to really talk about his feelings; he was so used to bottling everything up, a trait he learned since childhood thanks to Howard. The man never cared for his son, always a second shadow compared to Captain America. It was sickening, but Tony had to endure it. He didn't like crying because it showed weakness in his eyes, and Stark men were made of iron. The great Tony Stark was definitely a man made of iron, and most definitely wasn't weak.

"If there's anything bothering you, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm always here for you Tony."

He reached across the table and grabbed the other's hand in his, smiling at him. Tony felt an electrical current go through him, as if Steve's touch was giving him energy. He craved it, and frankly hated it. Years of emotions kept bottled up, only to be threatened by a blonde with baby blue eyes, and a smile that could melt an iceberg.

"I'm not good at this you know," he responded, looking at his hand that was currently being held by Steve. Before the other could respond, Tony continued,

"I'm not a relationship type of person. Hell, frankly I don't know what you see in me. You could have anybody you wanted, yet you choose me-"

"Don't say that Tony. There's something about you I like and-"

"Well I figured you wouldn't ever since the helicarrier incident."

Simple words carried such powerful weight behind them, rocking Steve's core as he felt the guilt hit him. He could never take back those words from that fateful day, the influence from Loki's scepter causing words that neither meant to be spoken. Steve swallowed the lump in his throat, eyes glued to the man in front of him as he spoke.

"I'm sorry Tony. I know I can't take back those words, and I still feel guilty to this day. Those words were just influences from Loki's scepter, none of it was true. I see you for far much more, whether you're Iron Man or Tony Stark. You're special Tony, I mean that," Steve said, a sad smile plastered on his face.

Tony took every word to heart, he knew that they were all under the spell of that damn scepter, yet the hurt was real. He would never admit that to the super soldier, but he figured he could already see it within his eyes. Calling the other a lab rat was just as bad. Words he couldn't take back, and it made him sigh out loud.

"I know. I'm sorry for what I said too, you're not a lab rat, and everything special about you didn't come from a bottle. The bottle just enhanced the specialness you already had."

He felt happy that the words came from such proud, and honest emotion. The wall he built was slowly cracking, letting everything he kept inside to slowly slip out a few inches at a time. He was lucky to have Steve, regardless if he was a bodyguard, or a friend, or even a romantic interest dare he think that, he craved the other's attention and presence. It was like a drug he couldn't live without, the craving so intense, yet manageable at a certain level. He felt, in a way, safe with Steve around.

"Can we order now? I'm starving and I would love to go back home soon." Tony said. He squeezed Steve's hand and smiled, causing the other to smile back, nodding his head in reply.

They spent the rest of their time conversing, enjoying the other's company. They were gradually getting more comfortable around one another, and to say they weren't developing a bond would be incorrect. As they were lost in the moment with one another, they didn't take into account a third party. A shadow perched atop one of the taller buildings within the vicinity, concealing him from wandering eyes, and from the two males inside the restaurant.

When they were done, the journey back home was welcomed as fatigue started to set in. The sun started to fade over the horizon, painting the ocean a vibrant mix of orange and yellow. As the car came to a halt at Tony's Malibu beach house, Steve was the first to get out. He stretched a little, inhaling the sea salt air he came to love before walking towards the house, Tony in pursuit. When they had arrived, they didn't expect a certain red headed female to be waiting for them.

"Hey there boys, where have you been all day?" Natasha asked, getting up from the couch with a small pip in her step as she walked over to them. Her once curly red hair was now straightened, but still rested nicely on her shoulders.

"First off, what are you doing in my house, and second, what do you want." Tony asked, getting straight to the point of the red heads visit.

She smiled innocently at them before walking over to the kitchen counter, a file placed delicately in the center. She grabbed it off the counter, walked over to Steve and held the file out for him.

"This is for you, Fury wanted me to give this to you. He sends his regards by the way," she put simply, the smile never fading from her lips. He looked at her before grabbing the folder and opening its contents. He sighed heavily and looked back up to her, an amused smile on his face.

"He wants to send me on a mission." Steve said.

"So what's wrong with that? We go on missions all the time, I'll help you." Tony said, subtly walking to the workshop.

"He wants Nat and I to go on a private mission, without you Tony."

He paused his steps, turning towards the two of them, eyebrows raised in confusion with a subtle hint of irritation.

"Oh, Fury suddenly thinks I'm not needed? That I'm not cool enough to kick it with the spies? What kinda bullshit is he playing at?" Tony voiced his displeasure. He crossed his arms as he made his way to the window that gave a spectacular view of the ocean. He stared off into the vast majority of space, noticing the way the colors danced across the surface of the water, a mesmerising dance that calms his nerves a bit. He also noticed.. Helicopters? Just what were they doing here?

"Popular as always huh Stark? What did you do this time for the news to find you?" Natasha said from her stand next to Steve. The blonde on the other hand, was deeply confused as to why any sort of media would be here. They were circling the perimeter, as if they knew Tony lived here. That can't be the case right?

"There was nobody following us on the way here? I'm sure they don't know this is your house, right Tony?" Steve said, a hint of panic in his voice.

As the genius studied the helicopters, they formed a horizontal line, one next to the other as they stared at him. His blood started to go a little cold with how ominous the air was around him, a sickening feeling pooling deep within his gut.

"Why are they getting closer?" This time, Nat voiced her concern.

By the time he saw it, it was too late. A stray missile was launched from one of them helicopters, and as Tony tried to run to usher the two out of his house, the explosion impacted the building and sent all three members flying. Tony's back collided with one of the support beams, a sharp pain following as he groaned in pain. Steve had collided with the wall, the side of his body taking all of the impact as the air was knocked out of him. He struggled to breathe. Only being able to take shallow breaths, struggling to get his respiratory system under control as he hugged his side. Natasha's side, and some of her back, was met with glass doors. She felt the pain around her as the glass scrunched under her, suffering from some cuts and scrapes as she struggled to get up. The genius was freaking out as the building was hit yet again, the ceiling starting to give away, and a crack beginning to form in the ground.

"Steve, get Agent Romanoff out of here!" Tony yelled. He groaned in pain as he held onto the support beam, his back crying out in pain as he got to his feet.

"JARVIS, I need a suit!"

"I am sending the Mark 42 up right now sir, however, it is not yet ready-"

"It'll have to do, J!"

He looked behind him and saw Steve taking Nat outside, both of them in serious pain as they limped out of the house. Tony had to stay focused as the building shook once more. He could hear his new suit whirring it's way over to him, he held out his hand as the gauntlet was the first to attach to him. He turned his hand towards the right most helicopter and readied a missile of his own, firing and successful causing it to teeter off to the side, and explode as it hit the water.

'_One down, two more to go,'_ he thought, mind racing as the explosions kept coming, and the building tearing apart.

"Tony!" He heard an all familiar voice call his name. He was broken out of this thoughts, his armor still encasing itself around him, as he turned and saw Steve.

"Steve, get out of here!" He yelled.

"Not without you!" Steve yelled back.

Tony felt himself tip backwards, as a missile impacted itself within the cliff. As he fell backwards with the water just below him, he grabbed the support beam to stop his fall towards the water. Now dangling just mere feet above the water, thoughts racing, he readied another missile from the other gauntlet, firing it at the left helicopter. It suffered the same fate as the earlier one on the right, and Tony only had one more to go. He gripped the beam hard, pulling himself up onto the marble floor, and turning towards Steve.

"Is Nat safe?!" He shouted, worry mixed in. Steve nodded as he looked at the genius, fear soon stirring within him as the floor started giving away, and a chunk of the ceiling falling towards Tony.

"Tony watch out!" He screamed.

Tony looked up, eyes widening as he braced himself for the impact, but it never came. He looked up and saw Steve, holding the chunk of granite that was going to crush him. He could see the strained look on the man's face as he held the large object, before tossing it aside and panting.

"Come on, I'm not leaving without you!" He held his left hand out for the genius to take, determined to leave with the other.

A sudden pain shot through his body, the culprit coming from a bullet wound freshly made on his left shoulder. He grit his teeth as he felt his flesh tore, the bullet embedding itself in his muscles, causing him to drop to his knees.

"Steve!" Tony yelled. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach as he heard the floor giving away. He could feel the floor about to collapse, and he knew he couldn't let both of them possibly die.

"Suit power at 5% and falling." He heard JARVIS say. He grit his teeth and with what little strength he had left, he grabbed Steve, and threw him as softly as he could towards the other side. The side Tony was currently on, gave away as half of the building plummeted towards the water.

"Tony!" Steve screamed, the pain being his least amount of worry. He ignored it, staring at the falling rubble submerging himself, along with Tony into the water. His body shook violently, unable to come to terms with what had just happened. He felt the wetness on his cheeks, fresh tears presenting themselves from his eyes as he hung his head to his chest. Sobs wracked his body for a bit before looking back up at the remaining helicopter. He couldn't make out everything, or who it was that was in the helicopter at the time, but all he could make out was a red star on what appeared to be metal. The helicopter soon faded off into the distance after Tony had fallen to his doom, leaving Steve there, a sobbing mess.

He felt hands shaking his shoulder, he felt pain course through his body at the action, a soft sorry being spoken shortly after. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him.

'_You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down the wire and let the other guy crawl all over you.'_

He sobbed harder, gripping his hair a little bit as the words haunted him. This was the second time Tony had done this, without any sort of hesitation. It was the Chitauri invasion all over again, except this time, Tony wasn't falling from a portal; he didn't fall through something he could visibly see him come out of. This time, Tony fell down into a watery grave, piles of rubble falling in pursuit that could crush him. As he felt himself being pulled from his position, his body still in pain, and still convulsing due to his sobs, his mind was plagued with the horrible realization.

Steve watched Tony fall again, and he wasn't strong enough to help him.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**If I happened to make Steve or Tony seem a little OOC, my bad. Although I think I have captured the sarcastic and sassy part of Tony, spot on (hopefully).**

**As a reminder to where I am right now, this was the scene from Iron Man 3 (with different characters involved), but will promptly follow the Winter Soldier timeline. (Because of the edit, the elements of Iron Man 3 are still relevant, this Winter Soldier timeline still follows, but ultimately this is set in Age of Ultron timeline, and the events before AOU lead up to that moment. Confusing I know, sorry) **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if I am being honest I did get kinda sad writing this. Poor Steve.**

**I accept any and all constructive criticism and positive feedback. If you enjoyed, please leave a review if you want! **

**See you guys next time I upload, hope you're enjoying if you managed to stick around this far XD!**


	6. Chapter Five: The Fatal Truth

**Author's Note: **

**Alright so, a couple of things need to be addressed. The confusing timeline in the next few chapters, and a small thanks to the people who followed, and those who have made this story their favorite. **

**I would like to thank EmzLuvzTom, Gelissa, Manaphylover, and SavageAngle7 for following this story, and a thanks to SavageAngel7 again, and DarkSkity for favoriting this story. It's nice to know that this story is going somewhere, I suppose lol.**

**Now onto the confusing part. So I edited chapter four and specified that, that chapter had Iron Man 3 elements, and used to take place in Winter Soldier, but now it takes place in Age of Ultron. So let me summarize and clarify.**

**With the way the plot and chapters were coming, I found that it would be illogical to have the Malibu Mansion collapse take place three years later, when all the other chapters had events happen one after the other. So I had to change it to two years, so that way everything flowed and got me ready to write Civil War. So, if you read chapter four, just know everything that happens will occur right after one another, and the next time skip won't be until after Civil War. **

**Anyways, sorry for the long author's note. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I know this is hard on you Steve, but we have a mission we have to take care of. I know this doesn't solve anything, but we have to get through this." Natasha said.

Steve looked at her, a solemn expression written on his face. He was emotionless for the most part, not feeling much except for the sadness that plagued him, and his mind telling him he was useless. He wasn't coping well ever since he lost Tony only a few hours ago. The pain that was previously in his shoulder from the bullet wound, was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

"Yea, might as well get this over with." He said sadly. He sighed afterwards as he saw the boat within his eyesight. He couldn't think properly, it felt like a haze had suddenly washed up, taking permanent residence within his brain, and that's what really scared him. Tony was on his mind ever since the Malibu mansion collapse, and he was afraid he would mess this mission up if he didn't think straight.

"We're at the dropoint Captain! Ready when you are," he heard the new agent, Rumlow, say.

The ramp to the Quinjet had soon opened, and he took his stance at the near end of it. He tried to mentally prepare himself for the mission, and then felt a hand on his right shoulder. He turned around and saw Nat, a small smile on her face.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"My shoulder is doing just fine-"

"I wasn't talking about your shoulder, I was talking about your mentality," she cut him off. She knew just how to see right through him, and it put a smile on his face as he looked at her.

"Don't worry about me Agent Romanoff. I can do this all day." He grabbed his shield, and promptly jumped off the Quinjet towards the ship.

"Was he wearing a parachute?" Rumlow called.

She laughed quietly and said, "No he was not."

The mission itself was to rescue S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from a ship overrun with Russian terrorists. Steve took out each and every one of the terrorists on the top part of the boat by himself, before Agent Romanoff and Agent Rumlow rendevouz with him. He instructed them to their own specific task, and when completed they would tell him, and get the hostages off the ship.

It all went according to plan, until Agent Romanoff had missed the rendezvous point. Rumlow had notified Steve of her misstep and he set out to find her, only to be interrupted by a man who speaks fluent Russian, and was quite skilled in hand to hand combat. Steve took care of the man in swift fashion, trading blows before ultimately delivering a semi-somersault kick to the man's cranium, knocking him out cold. As he looked up, he saw a familiar splash of red hair in the control room of the ship. He grabbed the man, kicked down the door, and tossed the man onto the broken door laying on the ground. Upon hearing the sound, Nat turned her head and saw Steve heading towards her, a smile plastered on her face.

"Hey there Cap." She said casually.

"What are you doing, we had a mission to save the hostages, and you blew it." He said, annoyance coursing through him at her actions.

"No, _you_ had a mission to save the hostages. I had my own," she kept her focus on the computer in front of her, "and I think I just finished it," were her last words before taking the flashdrive that was recently embedded into the USB port of the computer, and holding it up for Steve to see before putting it away.

"What exactly was your mission, Agent Romanoff?" He was curious as to why she would jeopardize what they came here to do. He was more disappointed in her than anything. He thought he could trust her with anything, whether he was the one telling her something or vice versa, and now he didn't even know if he could since she was keeping secrets from him.

"Protecting S.H.I.E.L.D. data, can't let the whole world know about the organization just yet." The two occupants were so focused on the conversation at hand, that they didn't see the third occupant, the one Steve had incapacitated, get up and toss an explosive into the room. Nat averted her gaze from Steve as she saw the man exit the room, and then noticed the explosive about to detonate. Steve followed her gaze, and his eyes widened.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, jumped onto the control deck into the back of the room, and launched himself toward a window that Nat kindly shot so that glass would shatter, as the explosion destroyed most of the control room.

"Ok… That was my fault. That one's on me." She said, a slight hint of panic in her voice.

He said and nodded his head slowly as he said, "you're damn right it is."

He rested the back of his head on the wall, looking up at the ceiling as he got lost in his thoughts. He wishes he could just see Tony, and talk to the man to see if he could help him. He knew that wouldn't happen, and it brought a small tear to his eye, as it travelled downwards, dripping off his chin as he tried to collect himself. He didn't know what to think, or feel, or how to act based off of what Natasha just did. He does know, however, that there's one man who would have the answer to the stunt she just pulled.

* * *

He marched into his office, a stoic expression plastered on his face to keep from the growing annoyance circling within him. He came face to face with the man who dared to send him on this mission, knowing damn well what he had gone through prior to this operation.

"How can I lead a team, when my own teammates have secrets of their own. How can I trust them, or you for that matter?" He said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I wouldn't send you on a mission you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything," Fury explained. He walked away from his desk and headed towards the door, looking back at Steve, and nodding for him to follow.

Confused, the blonde simply followed the older man without question. Fury waited for him in the elevator, and once Steve had joined him, he pushed the furthest most button from the bottom. As the elevator made it's descent, Fury started to tell him about his grandpa. He told him about how he absolutely loved people, but he just couldn't trust him. Steve furrowed his eyebrows at the story, striking a chord within him that oddly enough reminded him of himself in a sense. When the elevator reached its destination and the doors opened, Steve was taken aback.

Three giant helicarriers were stationed within the underground facility of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Steve stood there, mouth agape as he followed Fury around.

"Captain Rogers does not have access to this part of SHIELD," a robotic female voice said.

"Override, Nicholas J Fury." He said, access for Steve being granted shortly after.

The two occupants stopped in front of one of the helicarriers, and Fury simply told him, "this is Project Insight. Three next generation helicarriers synched to a network of targeting satellites. Once we get them in the air they never need to come down."

"So what exactly would you use these for?" Steve asked.

"They would be used to eliminate potential threats." Someone else had said. Taking his gaze off of the helicarrier for a moment, he looked to his left and saw none other than,

"Agent Hill. Nice to see you again," he said shaking Maria Hill's hand and smiling at her.

"Good to see you too, Captain Rogers. I hate to interrupt, but Fury has an important meeting he needs to attend to." She stated.

Steve simply nodded his head and removed himself from the location he was in. Before he could leave the premise entirely, Fury had stopped him.

"Here Cap, you're gonna need this for your new apartment. S.H.I.E.L.D. mandatory, so don't even think about ignoring it."

As the older man tossed Steve the keys and he caught it, his mind started to wonder just when S.H.I.E.L.D. had invested the time, and money, to get an apartment for Steve. Shaking his head, he offered his thanks to the director and stepped into the elevator. As the doors were closing, Fury shouted to him where his location where he'd be staying was, and when the doors closed, Steve let out an exasperated sigh.

What he really wanted to do was find a way to battle the emotions circulating within him. It pained him to be staying at a random place with no Tony. He never wanted to imagine a life without him, but it had happened all too soon. He hated crying, but it somehow comforted him. It reminded him that he was still human, even after the serum. Things were never the same for Steve after the whole Valkyrie incident, and being assigned a bodyguard to Tony Stark, made his life seem a little less complicated as he tried to adapt to the fast changing world around him. Now, he was just as lost when he woke up in this strange new world, and there was no Tony to help him, or to comfort him.

As the elevator doors opened, Steve brushed off the ghostly tears that dare trailed down his cheek as he made his way over to his motorcycle. The same motorcycle that Tony-

"God dammit…" He whispered to himself as the tears started to cascade down his cheeks once more. He kept the scream he so desperately wanted to release inside, not wanting anyone to see or even hear him in anguish. He didn't even bother to wipe the tears away this time as he hopped onto the motorcycle, and made his way to the apartment.

When he arrived there, he wasted no time in stripping off his outfit, taking a shower, and face planting into the bed. He was so emotionally drained, that all he wanted to do was to just sleep.

Being a super soldier he didn't really need to sleep, or even eat, like the average human needed. He was plagued by the nightmares of the war, and his heroic sacrifice of crashing the Valkyrie in the ocean. He was scared that if he closed his eyes, he would experience everything all over again, and the creeping feeling of being trapped in ice would manage to find its way to mess with his body heat. It was also hard enough to keep his mind from conjuring up images of Bucky's death, but even those snaked its way into his subconscious. He let out a sigh, and as best as he could, he closed his eyes and tried to fall into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

When Steve first opened his eyes, he expected it to be morning already with the sunbeams coming through the windows. Instead it was the complete opposite. He could see how the light shining through his window was too dim, not reflecting the sun's bright beams of light at all, but what intrigued him the most was this sound of… Music? He doesn't remember leaving any trace of music playing when he got to the apartment; he had been so tired that after the shower he went straight to bed. He picked up his shield that rested against the wall near him, and slowly crept outwards into the living room, the exact location of where the source was coming from thanks to his super hearing. It was awfully dark as he traversed his way to the location, and as he turned he saw a familiar presence, in the form of Fury.

The man before him looked like an absolute wreck. Small scrapes and bruises on his face, mixed in with some blood that was trickling down from his eyebrow to the side of his face. A busted lip, and needless to say Steve has seen the man in better days.

"What are you doing?" He asked, cutting right to the chase.

"Sorry, my wife kicked me out of the house. I hope you don't mind…," he trailed off and took out his phone, proceeding to write a message. When Fury turned the phone around, Steve was able to make out big bright blue letters that read,

'_S.H.I.E.L.D. compromised.'_

He felt fear weld up inside of him as Fury started to type a new message, turning the phone back to Steve once more.

'_Ears everywhere.'_

He swallowed the lump in his throat, staring at the man before asking, "who else knows about your wife?" Fury once again, typed another message, and showed it to Steve.

'_You and me.'_

"Just you, and me," were the last words Steve heard before two shots rang out, puncturing the walls and finding their way into Fury's chest. Steve hurried over to catch Fury from falling to the floor. As the man struggled to breath, he looked up, and saw the assailant start to run. As his anger started to take hold, he felt the dying man tug on his jacket. He looked down and saw Fury hold out a flashdrive. As he stuffed the device in his jacket, he heard the dying voice of Fury say, "don't trust anyone," before the man collapsed on his floor.

Steve ran as fast as his enhanced agility would let him, using his shield to stop him from smashing into a wall, but teetering his advance just a little as he reached a glass window. He positioned his shield in front of him as he jumped, glass shattering around him, and his feet met the solid ground of the roof. He rolled forward to gain momentum, and swung his shield forward to try and stop the assailant. His entire body froze, overcome with fear as the masked man turned around and caught the shield with his left arm. Steve didn't think anything like that was possible, and upon further inspection he felt as if he was suffocating.

He saw the familiar red star on his left shoulder, and the metal he saw, happened to just be a metal arm. What struck him more were the familiar blue eyes, as if he knew this person. Reality had caught up to him as the shield was launched back towards him. He held out his hands and caught it before it reached his midsection. When he looked again, the man was gone.

'_Who was that guy?'_ Steve thought.

He shook his head before pulling out his phone, a Stark phone to be exact, and phoned Maria Hill. He told her about Fury needing medical treatment, and she wasted no time in saying that help was on its way. As the phone call came to a close, he let out a frustrated scream into the night, dropping to his knees and holding his head as his body shook violently. The only thing he wishes for, was that Tony was here to help him, to remind him that he was strong enough, because when Steve's feelings for Tony started to prosper, he needed the genius to help him not feel so weak.

* * *

It was not long ago that Fury was pronounced dead, the bombshell being dropped on both occupants. The one who was taking it the hardest, was Natasha. She had been the closest to Fury, his top agent at S.H.I.E.L.D. He was the one who made Natasha what she is, and gave her a fresh start on life. Not everybody knows the story of the Black Widow, and she made sure to keep it that way. Shrouded in mystery all her life; identity after identity forgotten, changed, nobody knew her for who or what she was. Her red ledger was slowly running and catching up to her, but Fury made sure that he was the only one to know the truth about her. As she looked at his lifeless body, she let out a single tear, something Steve had never seen before.

When Maria entered the room and told the two it was time to go, Nat placed a kiss on top of his bald head and walked out of the room, Steve in pursuit. As they walked out of the room and down the doctors office, Nat suddenly turned around to face the blonde.

"What was Fury doing in your apartment?" She questioned, confusion written over her face. He stopped and looked at her, ready to tell her the truth until he remembered three simple words.

'_Don't trust anyone.'_

He shrugged and said, "I don't know." A stoic expression on his face that she analyzed.

"You're a horrible liar."

"Cap," he turned and saw it was Agent Rumlow who called him, "Secretary Pierce wants to see you."

"Just a minute." Steve said.

"He wants to see you now," Rumlow added, a hint of urgency in his voice. Steve looked back at him and nodded, turning back to Natasha and saying,

"Look, there's things I can't tell you just like how you can't tell me." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. She smiled and nodded her head, walking off without another word. He sighed to himself and looked to the right. An opening vending machine currently being stocked was what greeted him, and a thought occurred to him. As he joined up with Rumlow, a few minutes before his leave from the hospital with said agent, he had stuck the flash drive behind two packs of strawberry bubblegum, and followed Rumlow to Secretary Pierce's office.

The conversation they had wasn't the brightest or the lightest, it was more of Pierce trying to get information out of Steve. When asked why Fury was in Steve's apartment, the blonde simply said that Fury told him to not trust anyone. He was excused from the office a few minutes later, after Pierce told him that he would do anything to find out what happened to his friend.

That's when Steve fully understood what the Secretary was saying, as he just fought his way through Rumlow and a few other agents in an elevator. He gave them a chance to think about their actions when he uttered the phrase, "before we begin, does anyone want to get out,' but they simply decided to stay and try to man handle the Captain. It didn't work out in the end, as Steve simply walked out of the elevator and exited the Triskelion.

It got even worse as he exited the building, as he was met with a Quinjet that tried to stop him. He threw his shield at the jet, and used the acceleration from his motorcycle to jump onto the flying vehicle. He promptly grabbed his shield, and threw it once more to destroy a few more key points, before jumping down onto the gravel as the jet blew up.

'_This was all Hydra's doing. I got to get back to the hospital.' _He thought.

He made his way to the hospital, and remembered that the flashdrive was inside the vending machine behind the gum packages. However, when he reached the said machine, it was gone. Panic started to arise within Steve as he tried to figure out who could've taken it. In the reflection of the glass, a familiar red head appeared, popping bubble gum as she held up the flashdrive.

"Looking for this?" Natasha said. Steve wasted no time in taking her wrist, dragging her into a vacant room, and pushing her lightly against a wall. A small thud was heard as the two stared at each other.

"What's on the flashdrive," he demanded, and in return all he got was a smile and a soft chuckle out of the assassin.

"Look, there's things I can't tell you just like you can't tell me." She replied. He knew he would regret those words, but with the inner turmoil he was dealing with, how could he have trusted her? She betrayed his trust once, and now he was acting as if she was against him. It was hard enough as it is, and the situation was starting to break Steve's barrier he put in front of everyone.

"I need to know what's on there Nat. Please, I need your help." He pleaded.

"Why should I tell you anything, when you're keeping more secrets than I am." She replied.

Those simple words alone were enough to break the barrier Steve made for himself. He couldn't hold it in anymore, so he let out all his inner demons to her.

"Because I'm supposed to be Strong," his voice cracked, "I'm supposed to be able to handle situations like this, and yet it's tearing me down, Nat. I feel so weak, and I can't… I miss him ok? I feel so useless, and weak without him. I watched him fall to his doom, and even with me being a super soldier I couldn't do a damn thing. You wanna know why I have so many secrets? It's because it's hard enough for me to know I lost a man I have feelings for, instead of blurting out to you on how weak and pathetic I feel."

His body trembled at each word, and when finished the tears were already flowing. He tried to hold them back, but his own body wouldn't let him. When it came down to it, he really did trust Natasha, but he wouldn't tell her that just yet. He spent enough time trying to hold himself together, that when he needed a friend the most, he found it with her.

He felt her place a hand on his cheek, her thumb wiping away his tears. Baby blues looked into her greyish greens, as the tears kept flowing. He crumbled away at the scene, making him feel vulnerable, yet safe in front of the Black Widow.

"I understand how you feel Steve," she brushed away another tear, "you don't have to keep pretending to be strong, it's ok to feel weak. I felt the same way when I had to go get Banner, and when he Hulked out next to me on the helicarrier. I was struck with fear, something I thought I wasn't capable of feeling. I've lost people, and I've killed people. Their blood is on me, but you and I have a choice. We can save thousands of others, and live for the people we care about. I'm right here Steve, I'm not going anywhere. I promise." She smiled at the end. He nodded his head and calmed down shortly after. When he was calm enough, she spoke again.

"There are a few things that S.H.I.E.L.D. never told you, but told me. Considering I think you should know I'm going to tell you." She took the time to compose herself before continuing. "The person who killed Fury is called the Winter Soldier-"

"How do you know that?" He cut her off.

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. Those who do call him the Winter Soldier," she lifted the bottom helm of her shirt a little, exposing her skin and a nasty wound that Steve could see. "Five years ago I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran, somebody shot at my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff, I pulled us out, but the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so he shot him straight through me. Soviet slug, no rifling. Bye-bye bikinis."

"Yea, I bet you look terrible in them now," he said, earning him a small chuckle from the red head.

"We should find out what this ghost wants."

"Before we do that, there is one more thing you should know," She bit her lip as she tried to tell him the final information. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What is it?"

"Peggy Carter is alive. She's in the old folks home just a few blocks away from here. If you want, we should go see her before we find this ghost."

Steve stared at her, his emotions out of control at the information she had given him. It didn't take long for him to grab her wrist again, pulling her out of the room, out the hospital, and having her navigate them towards the old folks home.

* * *

When they arrived at their destination, Steve was horribly nervous. He stood outside the door to Peggy's room with Natasha, scared of what she might say. Hell he didn't even know if she'll even remember him. It's been nearly 70 years since he last saw Peggy, and he thought she was all but dead like everybody else. Natasha nudged him with her elbow and he hesitantly nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat as he entered the room.

The sight broke his heart a little bit, but was soon replaced by extreme happiness. There lies Margret "Peggy" Carter, white hair up to her shoulders, a visible pink gown, and a smile on her face as she sees Steve.

"Oh my god… Steve is that you? Oh, it's been so long," she started off, tears slowly beginning to form in her eyes. He made his way over to Peggy, sitting down in the seat next to her and holding her hand in his.

"Yea it's me Peggy," he whispered, "I'm so happy to see you." There was a slight hint of sadness in his voice as it cracked, but he smiled at her. Despite the situation they were in, he was so glad to know that she was still alive after all these years. He would gladly come back here and talk to her whenever he got the chance.

"Peggy, I'd like you to meet my friend, Natasha Romanoff." He introduced her.

"Hi Aunt Peggy, it's nice to meet you." She said, sitting down next to Steve and smiling.

"Oh dear, you are so beautiful. You better take good care of Steve, who knows what trouble he'll find himself in." All three occupants shared a small laugh after what she just said. Steve's other hand gently rubs the back of hers with his thumb, and as he looks at Peggy, relishing the moment, he can't help but think back to when he first fell for his best girl. He knows he can't stay here for long, they were on the run and needed to get moving.

"Peggy, I'm sorry to cut this short, but me and Nat have to get going. I promise to visit you whenever I can alright?" He said, baby blues looking at her.

"Alright dear, I'm so happy to see you again. Please, be safe and take care. Live your life Steve, be happy, and just remember I am always with you," she pointed to his chest where his heart was, and he smiled at her before leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. They said their goodbyes and exited the room. As they walked, Steve felt his world become a little lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. As they continued walking, he heard an interesting conversation take place a few doors down. He stopped to investigate the noise, and saw a group of people talking about their problems.

"Hey, we gotta get going." Nat said. Steve nodded his head and told her to wait a moment. He heard one of the members of the group talk about how they struggled to sleep at night, how their mind was plagued with horrible images of war. He could relate to that, and it piqued his curiosity more. He found that the person conducting the session was a dark skinned male, wearing a white button up shirt, and black jeans. His hair was very short, and as he concluded the session his eyes locked with Steve's.

"Hey man, you interested?" The guy asked.

"Uhm, it sounded interesting. I might be interested, but I really gotta get going-"

"Don't worry about it dude, just take my card and if you ever feel like stopping by here, or need someone to talk to personally, just come visit." The man handed him a small white card, and Steve noticed that his name was Sam Wilson. He noticed the address as well, and made a mental note of that.

"Thanks Sam, nice to meet you. Steve Rogers." He said, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Steve. If I may ask who's your lady friend," he inquired, shaking Steve's hand and looking at Natasha.

"Natasha Romanoff, nice to meet you Sam. Sorry to rush this, but we have to get going now," she said, starting to drag Steve away from the place. The blonde merely offered his apologies as he was dragged out of the building, and towards a mall within the vicinity.

"Alright, where to?" He asked.

"Computer store. For the record I wanna set something straight. First rule of going on the run is: "Don't run. Walk."" She explained.

"If I run in these shoes they're going to fall off," he simply stated as they made their way into the computer store. As Natasha was setting up the appliance, it had occurred to Steve that when she plugs in the flashdrive, the Hydra infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. base will know where they are.

"How much time we got?" He asked.

"Approximately ten minutes starting… Now," she replied, plugging in the flashdrive and getting to work. He saw her fingers typing away at the keyboard, trying to pinpoint the exact location of where this whole Winter Soldier came from.

"Almost got it." Natasha said. A few more codes needing to be entered, a few firewalls she had to bypass and then,

"Got it. New Jersey," she raised an eyebrow in confusion, "ring any bells?" She asked Steve. He simply nodded his head, a few memories surfacing its way into his head.

"Alright let's get going."

She took the flashdrive from the computer, and both occupants could feel the tension in the air. Steve turned around and saw two agents behind them, and when he turned forward two more in front.

"Classic pincer hold, two agents in back of us and two in front of us." He relayed the information to her. She nodded her head and an idea formulated itself a few minutes later.

"Quick put your arm around me and laugh like I just said something funny." He looked at her in confusion and as the two agents in front got closer, she nudged him and he followed her explanation. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and let out a small laugh as if she said something funny, easily passing the two agents. He soon let go of her as the two made their way down the escalator. A new threat in the form of Rumlow on the escalator going up parallel to them came into view, and they had to think fast. Another idea popped into Natasha's head, but it was more on the intimate side.

"Kiss me." She stated.

"What?" He replied, completely confused as to why she would suggest that. She knew who he wanted, and didn't understand her whole thought process.

"Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable."

"Yes, they do," and as soon as those words left his mouth, he felt his lips on hers. He felt a little uneasy about the kiss, it didn't feel right to him, but he knew that this was hopefully the only logical solution to not being noticed by Rumlow. The said Hydra again looked at them, made a disgusted face, and turned away. When the coast was clear, they pulled away, visibly uncomfortable.

"You still uncomfortable?" She asked, walking down the escalator.

He shook his head, taking time to forget what just happened before saying, "that's not exactly the word I would use."

* * *

When they finally were able to get out of the mall, Steve and Nat had decided that they would "borrow" a car. It wasn't the most moral thing Steve could do, but when you're on the run you have to do whatever you can to save yourself.

"Where did Captain America learn to steal a car?" Nat asked with one foot on the dash, and a bit of amusement in her voice.

"Nazi Germany. And we're borrowing. Get your feet off the dash." He told her. She rolled her eyes a bit before retracting her feet like he asked. A comfortable silence casted over the two fugitives before Nat decided to break it.

"I have a question for you, but you don't have to answer it if you don't want to. Although if you don't answer it, you're kinda answering it in a way, you know?" She rambled.

"What?" He simply asked, a small smile on his face.

"Was that your first kiss since 1945?" She asked. He chuckled a little, the smile not leaving his face for one second before saying,

"That bad, huh?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well, it kinda sounds like that's what you're saying."

"No, I didn't. I was just wondering how much practice you had."

He shook his head as she continued with her ministrations of his personal life. Truth was, yes that was his first kiss since 1945. The last girl he had kissed was Peggy, and now it was Natasha. What he really wanted was Tony to be his first kiss since coming out of the ice after he got to know more about the man, but now that would never happen.

"I don't need practice," He continued, diverting himself from his thoughts a little.

"Everybody needs practice. If I helped you in any way then you'll be ready for…" She stopped herself mid sentence, knowing exactly what she wanted to say, forgetting for a moment that Tony wasn't here. Steve picked up what she was going to say and nodded his head slowly, a stoic expression on his face as he flattened his lips.

"Sorry."

"It's ok."

They drove for a while, and by the time they reached the old military base, night was upon them. They got out of the car and took in their surroundings. To Natasha this was just some old abandoned military base, but to Steve, it was where he trained as the scrawny kid from Brooklyn. He stared off into the distance as a young Steve Rogers animated in front of him, followed by a few soldiers running in front of him. As the image came to a stop and looked at him, he remembered the drill sergeant yelling at him to fall in line. The memory brought a smile to his face, but was brought back to reality by Natasha walking towards an old bunker.

"Do you know what this is?" She asked.

"It's an old munitions bunker." Steve said. He noticed the lock on the door, and with his shield he broke it by thrusting his shield forward. From there he opened the door. What should have been a bunker full of weapons, was replaced by very old looking computers. Steve was very confused, but proceeded to step into the room. As they rounded a corner, they came upon a computer that was vastly different from the rest. Three sets of different sized screens were together, and a small camera was sitting atop the biggest one in the middle. It was as if they were somehow being… Watched?

Natasha stepped forward and placed the flash drive into a conveniently placed USB port, and the middle screen flickered to life. It started to materialize what looked like a face, and then a voice was shortly followed after as the camera looked at Steve first.

"Steven, Rogers. Born 1918." The voice started off.

"Romanoff, Natalia-Alianova. Born 1984," it continued, camera looking at her. By that point, the screen had finished materializing into a face that looked oddly familiar to Steve.

"Armin Zola. German scientist who used to work for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years." Steve said to Nat, clueing her in on who this was.

"I am not dead, Captain, in truth, I have never been more alive," the screen flickered and became brighter, "even if I suffered a terminal illness and my body could not be saved, my mind however, _that_ was worth saving. On two hundred thousand feet of databanks." Zola had told them. Steve started to feel a bit uncomfortable with the situation they were in, as if Zola was keeping something from him. Natasha could feel this vibe as she looked over at him, placing a hand on his shoulder causing him to look at her.

"Relax soldier, it's alright." She soothed.

"Is it? Do you really believe that?" Zola replied.

"Hydra died with the Red Skull," was the reply the Dr. got back from Steve. He was trying hard to keep his emotions in check, and he was somehow doing an ok job at it.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place."

"Prove it." Steve demanded.

Zola's face was replaced with video footage, dating back to the time Steve existed when Hydra did as well.

"Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you tried to take that freedom, they resist." The video footage morphed into images of Steve and all the men who partook in the Hydra raids. "The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited." The new image showed Howard Stark, and an image of Zola when he was recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve could feel anger coursing through his as the Dr. continued. "The new Hydra grew, a beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For 70 years, Hydra has been secretly feeding crises, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed." Just then, an image of a red star on metal was shown, and Steve's anger was morphed into deep concern and fear.

"That's impossible. S.H.I.E.L.D. would've stopped you." Natasha said, her own voice trembling just slightly.

"Accidents will happen." Zola conjured images of a dead Howard and Maria Stark, Tony's parent's, followed by an image of Nick Fury that read deceased in big red capital letters.

"Hydra created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, Hydra's New World Order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life, a zero sum!"

As the images of Steve's face popped up, with headlines depicting his "death" and that he disappeared, vicious waves of anger sprung up inside his body, and he found himself punching the screen with all his might, shattering the glass. It didn't make him feel any better knowing they actually lost, but it took some edge off.

The next screen on the right, conjured up the same image of Zola's face and the two looked at that monitor instead of the cracked one.

"What's on this drive?" Steve demanded.

"Project Insight required a little… Insight. So I wrote an algorithm-"

"What kind of Algorithm," Natasha cut Zola off abruptly. They were getting to the bottom of this, and everything was slowly starting to make sense now.

"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it." As Zola finished his sentence, the sound of a door could be heard closing. The door Steve and Nat had come through began to close rapidly, and with fast thinking Steve threw his shield to try and cease their only form of exit. Sadly it had already closed, and Steve's shield ricocheted right back to him and he caught it. Panic started to overwhelm him as Nat had just informed him that a missile was heading their way, in less than 30 seconds, and when asked who fired it, she looked at him and spoke only one word,

"S.H.I.E.L.D."

As Zola kept talking about how he was stalling and they all had run out of time, his rapidly racing mind looked around the room for a safe place as Nat grabbed the flashdrive from the USB port. He noticed the metal railing on the ground, and saw that there was just enough space below for him to protect both him and Nat. He hurried over to the metal casing, yanking the rail upwards, unhinging it from the floor.

An explosion was heard and fire began to consume part of the building behind them. He grabbed Nat as she ran over to him and jumped down into the small pit. The explosion had caused the building to crumble away on top of them, and he could feel every chunk of rubble hit them as he held up his shield to protect them.

Maybe this was how Tony felt back at the mansion? Maybe this was how Steve was going to die, the same way Tony had. It scared him to think like that, he couldn't let Nat die with him. He so desperately wanted to see Tony again, even thinking so much as to give up his life right here and now, but with Nat here, he wasn't about to die.

He kept the shield up above their heads, taking the full force of all the falling debris. The lights around both of them started to flicker on and off as the crumbling got worse, and Steve could not only feel the impacts on his shield, but a trembling Natasha Romanoff next to him. He grit his teeth and fought to hold on more, he pulled her close as the entire building collapsed on itself.

He felt his heart beating out of his chest as the building shook, columns and chunks of the roof landing on top of both of them, and filling the small pit. As the fear had taken over, and the pain became too much, he screamed.

He wanted to scream out Tony's name, but he kept it inside. The sound of Natasha's scream filled his ears as well, her own panined and panicked scream mimicking his. The only emotions left he could feel were sadness, and regret for not being able to protect his love interest, and his friend.

What once was the sound of two people screaming, was now the sound of absolute silence, and the image of a once standing building now crumbled to ruin.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**And another one bites the dust. I hoped anybody who read this enjoyed, and if you feel like it, please leave a review. I accept any and all constructive criticism, and positive feedback. **

**I am not too sure if I will upload tomorrow, my brain has been kinda on overload with the amount of chapters I've been writing and finishing, so I might take a day to myself. If not, then you will see a chapter tomorrow.**

**I hope everybody stays safe and healthy during these hard times, and I will see you next time!**

**Bai Bai!**


	7. Chapter Six: To The End Of The Line

**Author's Note:**

**Hello there everyone, and here your update! Sorry for not uploading on Saturday like I usually do, but I decided that I really did need a break from writing since my brain was overloaded with how long certain chapters were, and how much time and effort I was putting into making them.**

**Now I do want to say I apologize if Steve, or Tony, or anybody is OOC. I tried to capture their original personality as best as I could, and even dough I addressed this before I still wanted to address it again. I wanted to capture the inner turmoil that Steve while going through all of this, and capture how deeply he feels about the loss of Tony. I am also trying to develop their relationship, so hopefully if you get to the middle and end of this chapter, you will be happy with the feels between them.**

**I would also like to say that maybe I will alternate between uploading on Friday and Saturday. Considering I am still working on Chapter ten and it is going to be the longest chapter of this installment, uploading Friday and Saturday would make it so that I would have to work on the chapters and I would be behind (and might make you guys wait longer than I want. Can't have that now can we xD)**

**Long author's note aside, the usual disclaimer is that I do not own the characters, and the dialogue/quotes, those belong to Marvel. Without further interruption, please enjoy!**

* * *

He felt claustrophobic, like the air was being squeezed out of him. The smell of smoke invades his nostrils, making its way towards his lungs. He calmed himself a bit, trying not to panic before using his super soldier strength to push the rubble off of the shield. He kept pushing, until finally, a glimpse of daylight shone as he got both of them out of that small pit. He took a moment to calm his shaking body before grabbing Natasha and pulling her out, the aftereffects of a near death experience taking a toll on Steve and Nat, as Steve tried to remain calm while Nat was shaking violently.

"They're gonna be looking for bodies soon Nat, we gotta get going. I know just the place." Steve said. Natasha nodded her head, not uttering a word as she followed Steve on shaky legs.

Steve's mind wouldn't rest with the thought of him almost dying, and almost losing Nat in the process. If he managed to live and she died, hell he would never forgive himself knowing he could've been stronger. It might have even killed him if he lost two people he cared about. Yes, Steve indeed cares for the Black Widow. She might have secrets of her own that she never would tell him, and lied to his face, but she was a good friend. She even felt like a sister at times the way she could just read through his facade and comfort him. It made him oddly happy in a way he wouldn't admit.

He knocked on the door of the apartment he memorized from the card given to him at the old folks home. He prayed to all things good that Sam was home so they could escape this nightmare. To his luck the door had opened and the man in question appeared to be a little bit out of breath and sweaty, most likely coming back from a morning run.

"I'm sorry, but can we please stay here. We have nowhere else to go." Steve said, a small tear slipping down his face. He doesn't know what came over him, but he and Natasha have been through so much, and even after he met the guy there was this glimmer of hope for them when Sam opened the door.

"Everybody we know is trying to kill us,' Natasha added, trying to get the point across as to _why_ they had nowhere else to go. Sam looked out of his apartment, turning right and left before saying,

"Not everyone," and invited them in.

The two of them had decided to take a shower in order to get the dirt and grime off of them. Natasha had already taken hers, and Steve had just finished his. He looked at himself in the mirror, taking note of how worn out he looked. His baby blue eyes lost a little bit of their shimmer, a small hue of green making its way to the front. He sighed at his reflection and made his way over to Natasha, who was still drying her hair. She noticed his presence from her spot on the bed. He took a chair from the desk that was situated near Natasha, sitting in front of her and looked directly into her greyish green eyes.

She smiled at him, taking in the comfortable silence for a bit. It was a few seconds later when she broke the ice saying, "When I first joined S.H.I.E.L.D., I thought it was going straight. But I guess I just traded in the KGB for Hydra. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but… I guess I can't tell the difference anymore." Her posture had been reduced to a slump of her shoulders, and a slouch in her back. She never really opened up to anybody before, and what she and Steve had been through, well, she figured she could trust him.

"Well there's a chance you might be in the wrong business," chuckled Steve. Despite how serious the situation was, he could find a little sense of humor to lighten the mood in the room.

She chuckled in response and shook her head. "I owe you," she responded. He saved her life back in the bunker, how could she not repay him for his actions.

"It's okay."

"If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, now, you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?"

He stared at her intently, his eyes not leaving hers as he was lost in thought. He didn't expect her to ever ask something like this from him, and even if she lied and kept secrets, the fact she had told him her innermost feelings made him trust her much more. After all, Black Widow was starting to become Captain America's closest friend.

"I would now. And I'm always honest." He told her.

She smiled at him and said, "you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing." This earned her a chuckle from the blonde. He shook his head and said,

"Well I guess I just like to know who I'm fighting." He looked down at his hands, smiling sadly to himself. He sighed heavily and looked at Natasha again. "I don't know what to do Nat. I'm lost."

"What do you mean Steve?"

"I mean… What should I do now? I'm supposed to be "the star spangled man with the plan" and now I'm just "the star spangled man with no plan." I wish Tony were here, he would know what to do."

She took one of his hands in hers, holding it gently as she gave him a sad smile. They sat there in comfortable silence, neither knowing what to say.

"Geez, I didn't know you were so hopeless without me, Capsicle. Careful, people might start to think you care about me." A familiar voice said.

Steve felt all muscles within his body tense. He knew who the voice belonged to, but he wasn't sure if he was just hearing things, or if his subconscious was playing tricks on him. He knew Tony fell to his watery grave, and there would be no way that he could still be alive. However, his eyes widened as he saw the man there, standing in the doorway with a smile on his face as he looked at him.

"Tony…" Steve said, getting up from his seat abruptly and running over towards the genius and enveloping him in a hug. He held the man close to him, scared that if he let go he wouldn't be here. He felt himself start to shake, a sob escaping past his lips as he felt the arms wrap around him in return. He felt warm, a hand rubbing his back, and the other in his hair, soothing him as he tried to relax.

"It's ok soldier, you can stand down now." Came the reply from Tony. Steve didn't want to let go, but he did regardless. His teary eyed baby blues found themselves lost in caramel browns, as he smiled at the man he was infatuated with. The same smile was replicated from the genius. He tore his eyes away to look at Natasha and said,

"Hey, Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?" A cheeky smile grew wide on her face, and she shook her head.

"You're full of surprises Stark, I'll give you that."

"Ah, I see the reunion is going well." Sam said, suddenly appearing behind Tony. "I made breakfast for you guys, and when you're done I think we should make a plan." Sam then proceeded to go back out to the dining room, giving the three occupants time to catch up before they got hungry.

"Tony I… How are you still alive? I thought you died,"whispered Steve.

"Well, you see Steve, JARVIS was the one that actually saved me. The suit was running on 5% power when I felt myself plummet to the ocean, and as the rubble was coming down trapping me at the bottom of the ocean, JARVIS took over control the suit; helping me out of the rubble and then getting me back to Avengers Tower where I could recuperate." Explained Tony.

"Avengers Tower?" Steve questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, right. After uh… The whole New York thing I had Pepper redo the tower. So instead of being Stark Tower, it's now Avengers Tower. We all get to live there now once all of this is over."

Steve visibly noticed that Tony tried his hardest not to mention the Chitauri invasion, and visibly shook for a bit when he did. He made a mental note to not bring that up unless Tony was comfortable with it. He nodded at the other male and turned towards Natasha. He motioned for her to go out of the room. She nodded her head in return and made her way to the dining room.

"I'm glad you're safe Tony. To tell you the truth… I've been struggling. I'm supposed to be the leader of the team, and every time I was faced with a difficult obstacle I just cracked and I could only keep thinking how much I needed you there. How much I wish you were there to help me…" Steve trailed off and he rested his forehead against Tony's.

"Hey, it's ok Steve. We all have moments of weakness. I'll be damned if I let you think that, however. You're strong Steve, and not just because of the serum, but because you have heart. I can't imagine the shit you went through, but I'm glad you were strong enough to keep going." Tony told him, smiling as their forehead rested together, taking Steve's hands in his.

Steve could feel his heart beat a mile a minute, a smile plastered on his face, and a small chuckle erupting from within him. He looked back into the caramel brown eyes of the genius, and was completely mesmerized. Thoughts ran through his head of how beautiful Tony's eyes were staring back at him, but all he could think of was placing his lips against the other's, and that's exactly what he did.

He leaned forward a bit, catching Tony off guard as he kissed him. It was a kiss that conveyed how much he really missed the other male, and how he was scared of losing him. He savored the moment, squeezing Tony's hands lightly before pulling away. His smile grew wider as he pulled away, and so did Tony's, both of them being able to look into each other's loving gazes once more.

"You taste like coconut, and metal." Tony laughed at Steve's comment, making the blonde's heart flutter at hearing the genius laugh once again. When Tony calmed down, they stood there for a moment, enjoying each other's company before Steve told him they should go eat. Tony simply nodded his head, and held Steve's hand as they made their way to where Sam and Natasha were.

When they were finished eating, Sam had come up to Tony and Steve with a file. When asked what exactly this was, he simply said to call it a resume. When Tony opened the file, his eyes widened. He saw the familiar set of falcon wings he remembered making for someone back in the day, but he never knew exactly who. Now, Sam stood in front of him as the person he made these for, and Tony instantly wanted to make him an Avenger. As nice as that was, Sam kindly declined the offer for now and just wanted to help the other three Avengers. He told them the story of Riley and, needless to say, how could any of them say no.

They devised a plan for Steve to infiltrate the now Hydra invested S.H.I.E.L.D. base. In order to do that, however, they would need the help of Jasper Sitwell, the man who was captured on the rescue mission Steve was sent on by Fury.

Once the plan was made, it was placed into motion. Steve asked Tony if he would be coming with them, but he told the blonde instead, that he would be helping them through JARVIS. When they got the information they needed from Sitwell, Tony would have JARVIS hack into S.H.I.E.L.D. to take control from the inside, and proceed to help from there. Steve nodded in understanding, and proceeded to follow Natasha and Sam.

Retrieving Sitwell and getting the information they needed from him went according to plan, however, having the Winter Soldier kill Sitwell by throwing him out of the car and in the way of an oncoming semi-truck, and then wrecking their car by tearing off the steering wheel, was not.

Steve grabbed his shield, as well as both Natasha and Sam, before slamming the door off its hinges, and causing it to skid along the hard gravel as the car crashed into a barricade. When Steve stood up, he saw the Winter Soldier with a rocket launcher, aim fixed directly at Steve and Natasha. Sam was already rolled off of the door a few meters back so he was safe, but Steve had to push Natasha out of the way as the marble shaped rocket came barreling towards him.

He felt the shield take the full impact of the rocket, but in return it sent him flying in the air. He felt pain in his back as it hit the hood, and glass window of a car, elevating him into the air higher. He was disoriented as his body kept hurling towards the earth, but it soon impacted through the window of a bus, and was slammed against the inside hard. The bus soon tipped over due to another vehicle crashing into it, and shortly after the people inside had left. He felt the pain rack his body. He laid there, his vision fluctuating as the fighting continued outside.

On Natasha's side of the fight, she was busy trying to take care of the Winter Soldier and some other Hydra agents by his side. She was doing a good job so far, but she had to get the fight off of the highway and into a more favorable position. She jumped over the barricade to avoid an explosion the Winter Soldier launched at her, and then jumped over the last barricade avoiding gunshots and another explosive. She was plummeting towards the earth, but activated a grappling hook from the watch on her wrist, to propel herself safely towards the ground as more explosives started to be launched at her.

As she touched the ground and started to run, she could see the shadow of the Winter Soldier. She had to act fast as she noticed from his shadow that he turned his gaze from the street, over to where Steve had crashed. Once she saw him take aim at the bus, she let loose a few rounds from her guns, effectively cracking the goggles he was wearing, starling and distracting him.

He ducked behind the barricade, and she made her way over to take cover behind the vehicle that had crashed into the bus. When he got back up, his goggles were off his face, and his focus was on her as he kept firing at her. This didn't deter her from standing her ground and shooting back at him with her dual pistols. When she heard the guns start to click, she swore under her breath realizing she ran out of ammo. With no other option she took her leave from behind the vehicle as he kept shooting. She needed another plan, one that would hopefully get the drop on him.

When Steve's vision had corrected itself, he rolled over onto his stomach and collected himself. The moment to regain his self awareness was cut short as the sounds of bullets from a machine gun started to pelt the exterior of the bus, and pass through to the interior. He started to run, trying not to take any bullets to his body since his shield wasn't with him at the moment. As he got to the glass window at the end of the bus, he saw the signature colors of the red, white and blue object. He propelled himself through the glass, effectively shattering it, grabbed his shield and knelt down to the ground using the object to defend himself.

He studied that the Hydra agents weren't the least bit smartest as they kept their assault on the vibranium shield. He used their bullets against them, angling his shield up a bit so the bullets took out one of the members. He then proceeded to advance forward, keeping himself shielded from the other two. One of them was trying to circle around, but sadly found his death the same exact way the first one had; a bullet ricocheted off Steve's shield and made its way back towards its owner. When the last agent was down, Steve found the strength to run forward with all his might up to the last standing Hydra agent, jumped onto the car and over the man bringing his back crashing into the car. When he landed on the other side of the vehicle, he looked up to see Sam giving him cover from the bridge, shooting at a stray Hydra agent from behind a car.

"Go, I got this!" He yelled at Steve. The blonde simply nodded his head and started to run off to find either Natasha, or the Winter soldier.

The aforementioned Soldier was casually walking down the street, blowing up a cop car in the process, before his enhanced hearing had kicked in. He heard what sounded like… Natasha's voice coming from behind a silver van. He took out a small spherical object, knelt down, and gently rolled it towards the car. When it hit the destination and gently tapped the wall, it exploded not a second later. He stood there watching, as if he expected her body to be there, but he was surprised a few seconds later when he heard something behind him.

Natasha was smart enough to set up a recording of herself, acting as if she was hiding behind the car this entire time. When she found the opportunity to strike, she jumped out from behind him, kicked the gun away to prevent him from using it, and planted herself on his shoulders. She used a thin yet very durable string to pull his human hand back towards him. He stumbled back into a car behind him, before reaching up with his metal arm, grabbing her jacket and throwing her off. She collided with another car stationed in front of them, bouncing off of it and landing on her side as the impact left her a little disoriented.

When she came to, she saw the Winter Soldier hold up his explosive launching gun at her, and in return with quick thinking, used a small disk like object that held the same electric shock as her widow bites, threw it at the metal arm of the male, and effectively made it impossible for him to shoot her. With his arm incapacitated, she made a run for it.

Natasha was not one to show fear in the face of danger, the red room taught her there was no room for error, and any hesitation could get you killed. The only other times she ever felt this fearful of her life was when she had to retrieve Bruce Banner, and when she came face to face with the Hulk. She remembered her heart beating really fast, not knowing whether or not she was going to be ok. This moment resembled that exact same instant, only she knew this situation was highly likely to end in possible death.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" She yelled at the civilians. She had to get as far away from the man as possible, to devise a new strategy to deal with this threat. Her mind was racing and she felt like she was running out of time.

Her blood went cold, body jerking slightly and glass from the car next to her shattering as a bullet entered her left shoulder. She dropped to her knees and held the wound, fear being the only facial expression she had on right now. She had no idea where the shot came from. She had no sight of the Winter Soldier, and it scared her as flashbacks from Odessa clouded her mind.

Just then she heard footsteps on top of a car nearest to her, her eyes widened as he lined up a shot for her. The shot never came however, as Steve took his attention off of her and put it on him by running towards the threat.

When he got closer to the man, a sound riverbed off the shield thanks to the metal arm of the male making contact with it. The shield was then moved away from Steve and he was kicked off the car and made contact with the gravel. After the Winter Soldier tried to shoot Steve only to fail, the fight seemed to escalate from there.

They traded blow for blow, and Steve couldn't shake one thought from his mind. Why did the Winter Soldiers eyes look so familiar to him? He felt like the man he was fighting seems familiar somehow, but he had to shake those thoughts since he was practically fighting for his life. The fighting style of the other super soldier rivaled that of Steve's, and it got more intense as not only did he end up using his shield against him, but he also had a knife in hand.

Steve had to concentrate super hard to make sure that the knife did not come into contact with him, and possibly end his life. He found himself up against a metal van, blocking the knife from coming into contact with his head. He fought the strength of the other super soldier, managing to get behind him and suplexing him onto the gravel. He then performed a kickstand, popping himself up from the floor and grabbing his shield that was embedded into the van earlier thanks to the Winter Soldier.

As the two started fighting hand to hand again, Steve caught a lucky break when his shield blocked an elbow from the metal arm, effectively lodging itself partially inside. Within seconds he was able to bring his shield around, knocking it against the other males head, wrapping around him and placing them back to back, then grabbing him by the mask and flipping him over his shoulder. That's when he saw the mask fall off, and the face he saw when he turned around broke his heart.

The Winter Soldier, was none other than Steve's supposed dead best friend,

_James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes._

Steve felt his entire world come crashing down as he stared into the blue eyes of his best friend. It all seemed to make sense now. Why the eyes were familiar, and why it seemed as if the before unmasked Winter Soldier knew his fighting style. He could feel his hands start to shake slightly, before only one word flew past his lips.

"Bucky?"

"Who the hell is Bucky?" Came the reply.

Steve felt his heart break in two after he heard those words. He felt sick to his stomach and wanted to throw up. What had they done to his best friend? Why didn't he remember who he was, or who Steve was. This wasn't the Bucky he knew.

Bucky took advantage of Steve's wandering mind and readied to take a shot at him, but Sam luckily came swooping down and knocked him a few feet away from Steve. He went rolling for a bit before he sprung back up and looked at Steve. He felt confused, as if his mind was slowly starting to put together bits and pieces. As Steve just stood there staring at him, he held the gun up again to fire.

A shot was heard, but not from Bucky. Instead it came from behind Steve. He held his shield up to his face as he thought Bucky was the one who fired it, but as he ducked he saw a small explosive sphere fly past him towards his best friend. As the explosive came into contact with a red truck, he turned around and saw Natasha. He saw her weakened form, saw how she struggled to stay upright even as she leaned against a red van. He could see her body shaking, and he felt guilty for allowing her to get hurt.

When he looked back to where Bucky used to be, he didn't see his best friend, but instead he heard the sound of police sirens. Before Steve knew what was happening, he and his friends were surrounded by Rumlow and other Hydra pledged S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He felt the fight drain from his body as he heard Rumlow shouting at him to drop his shield and get on his knees. He did as instructed, dropping his shield and holding his hands in the air as he got down on his knees.

He was too lost in thought to care about much, his mind only caring about Bucky at this moment. He could feel the handcuffs around his wrist as Rumlow contained him, and he could feel the cold barrel of a gun on the back of his head. Maybe they were sent here to kill him instead? He didn't even care that his breath hitched as he could faintly hear fingers brushing over the trigger. He was lost and confused. He could barely hear Rumlow speak to whoever it was that had the end of the gun on the back of Steve's head, as he watched Natasha and Sam be taken away. It didn't help that as he was being taken away too, that all he could do was feel guilty and blame himself.

He didn't know what to say to his friends. He wanted to apologize for dragging them down with him, but the words couldn't get past the lump in his throat. His mind was in a state of shock as he looked towards the two, and even if they told him that none of this was his fault, he would still find a way to blame himself. He looked at Natasha and saw that her shoulder was bleeding really badly, and they needed to do something about it. Sam had followed his gaze and looked at her shoulder as well. It was really bad, the blood was coming out faster and Natasha was sweating really badly. There was no exit wound, so the bullet was still lodged in her shoulder, but they needed to get her medical treatment otherwise she would bleed out to death.

"Hey, we need to get her medical treatment otherwise she's gonna bleed out to death." He said. No response came as the guard he was talking to didn't move. He got a little more agitated, and continued with, "do you hear me? She needs medical treatment immediately or she will die."

The guard pulled out an electric stick and held it up to Sam's face, he backed away from it, scared that it would be used on him for lashing out like that. Instead, the stick was turned around and was used to attack the other guard sitting next to them.

The three of them stared at the sight with raised eyebrows. The guard started to take off their helmet, and they were surprised to see the familiar face of Agent Maria Hill.

"God, it was hot in there. It felt like my brain was being squeezed," she said, bringing out keys to each of their restraints. Once that was over, she then proceeded to tell them about where she was going to take them when they broke out of here.

And so, as they escaped from the van taking them to who knows where, Maria had non-Hydra agents drive them to an abandoned facility somewhere away from the public. Natasha could feel her body start to give out as they kept walking, the blood loss getting to her badly. Steve just held onto her, making sure to support her.

"I'm sorry." He blurted out to her. She looked at him in shock, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his actions.

"What are you sorry about?" She asked weakly. Her head rolled a little bit as she held onto him tighter.

"I got you hurt. I should've been able to prevent that-"

"There is… No way in hell you could've prevented this. I will always put my life on the line, if it means helping you or anybody else. I'm an Avenger, Steve. Not a quitter."

He smiled at her as they reached their destination. The area was filled with S.H.I.E.L.D. technology, and a few S.H.I.E.L.D. employees who were not Hydra. What stood out the most was the curtain in front of them, as if something or _someone_ was behind it.

"There's someone you should see, Agent Romanoff," Hill spoke, pulling the curtain back and revealing a very much alive, yet still physically hurt Nick Fury.

Steve and Natasha were both in shock. They thought he was dead back at the hospital, they saw his heart monitor flatline. They just stared at Fury before he had told them what was wrong with his body, and explaining to them why he had flatlined at the hospital. Leave it to Dr. Banner to invent something to calm down his heart rate to practically zero so he wouldn't Hulk out!

Once Natasha had gotten her medical treatment, the occupants of the room had gathered around a table. They had discussed the details of Project Insight, and how they were running out of time to stop it. Fury was so damn adamant about trying to save S.H.I.E.L.D. and only just destroy Project Insight, but Steve had to put his foot down. He didn't agree with what Fury thought was more important, and that they needed to destroy all of S.H.I.E.L.D., not just Project Insight. The director was at a loss for words, numbers against him as he looked at Natasha, Hill, and Sam who all sided with Steve. He pulled out a small case that held three identical computer chips, and explained how these were going to take down the helicarriers; by replacing one of the many chips inside the aerial vehicle, with one of the newer ones presented. When all three were in place, the helicarriers would target each other instead when they reached the max altitude of three thousand feet.

"Well Captain, looks like you're leading this operation." Fury said once he was done going over the plan. Steve simply nodded at him before going off to the side, and taking a moment to call Tony.

"Hey, Tony. You there?"

"God how long does an interrogation last? I've been sitting here for who knows how long. Did you get what you needed?" Tony rambled. Steve sighed heavily and Tony felt something was wrong.

"Something happened didn't it? What did you find out?"

Steve found it hard to tell Tony about what had happened, but he knew that he trusted this man to see and hear him when he's vulnerable and weak. "I found out that… You remember Bucky right?" He started off, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Your best friend and one of the Howling Commands from squadron 107th. What about him?" Tony was confused as to why Steve would bring up his dead friend from nearly 70 years ago, it just seemed too random, but he wanted the blonde to explain.

"He… I-I…" He struggled to say. He let out a shaky breath, "He's alive Tony. Hydra has him brainwashed. I fought him today and… I need to save him Tony."

"Steve, I want you to be careful. I don't know if we can save him, but I won't stop you from trying." The words from the genius had left a smile on his face. It was nice to know that he was supported by the man he had a crush on, and once this was all over, he wouldn't mind planting another kiss on those soft lips of his.

"Thanks Tony. I'll fill you in on the details of the mission, I'm gonna need you and JARVIS to hack into the Triskelion. Should be easy right?"

"You're talking to _the _Tony Stark about hacking. Who do you think I am? Some other genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist? Frankly I'm hurt Steven." A small laugh made its way past Steve's lips, a smile following shortly after. God, the way Tony made him feel was making him fall head over heels for this man.

* * *

After debriefing Tony on the situations, the genius got straight to work hacking into the Triskelion. He had found loads of data about Project Insight and relayed that information to Steve, as well as Fury and Maria Hill. To be honest it was kind of weird for Tony to be working with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent on this type of stuff, but he wasn't going to argue. There were a lot of lives at stake, him being one of them, so he was doing as much work as he could to help out.

When they reached the communications room of the Triskelion, Steve decided to send a message to all of S.H.I.E.L.D. He told everybody how Hydra had invested itself inside of S.H.I.E.L.D., and he revealed that Secretary Alexander Pierce was behind this whole mess. The organization was shaken to its core as Steve finished his speech, and that's when all hell broke loose.

"Steve, JARVIS is being kicked out of S.H.I.E.L.D. database. Project Insight has just been launched and I can't get JARVIS to override it. It's all up to you Cap." Tony informed him.

Steve adrenaline had kicked in when Tony had given him the message. He took Sam with him to help deal with the helicarriers, while Natasha would secretly pretend to be one of the secretaries that Alexander Pierce had invited, and stop him from the inside.

Sam was in charge of Bravo, and Steve was in charge of Alpha. That would leave Charlie, the only helicarrier left for both, or either of them to take out.

The first two helicarriers were taken care of, Steve having no problem dealing with Hydra agents on Alpha and setting the chip in place. He informed both Hill and Tony once he got the chip in place, and Maria informed him about the time left before the carriers reach max altitude and fire, while Tony programmed the Algorithms into the carriers to override their existing function.

Sam had a little bit more trouble with the aerial aspect on Bravo, considering the jets would not leave him alone. With a lot of evasive maneuver and banking, he was able to finally secure the chip into Bravo, also relaying this info to Tony and Maria.

"Hey Sam, I'm gonna need a ride!" Steve yelled into the comm device. Backup Hydra agents had started to come to the surface of the Alpha helicarrier, armed with rocket launchers. Steve started to run towards the edge of the carrier.

"Let me know when you're ready!" Sam yelled back. At this point Steve had already jumped off, and said,

"I just did!"

Sam located Steve, and grabbed his hand. The two then made their way onto the helicarrier Charlie. It was smooth sailing from here as they were ready to bring down Project Insight.

Steve felt the wind get knocked out of him as the boot of his best friend was placed against his check, knocking him back and over the guard railing, and plummeting towards the earth. Sam sprung into action trying to save his friend, but was stopped when Bucky grabbed his wings and flung him back onto the carrier. As Steve hung on to the side of the carrier, Sam was busy trying to hold off Bucky. The fight ended when Bucky ripped off one wing of the Falcon jetpack, and Sam had to parachute himself safely towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. Sam had told Steve what happened, hoping the man was still alive, and to his relief Steve responded and told him he was still on the helicarrier.

"Cap, you're running out of time. We need to get that last chip in." Tony said. He used his strength to climb back up, making his way towards the center of the flying vehicle.

When Steve got there, he came face to face with his best friend. He looked back at the cold blue eyes in front of him, murderous intent written in them. He didn't want to have to fight Bucky, but countless lives were at stake and he couldn't falter. He needed to get him away from the control center before it was too late.

"People are gonna die Buck. I can't let that happen." Steve told him. Bucky didn't respond, nor did he move either. He just stared at Steve the entire time, as if he were calculating whatever move Steve was going to do. Steve felt his hand tremble a little, but willed them to stop. "Please don't do this," his voice cracked. Once again, his best friend didn't move. If he couldn't reason with Bucky, then he had no choice but to fight him.

The first move came from Steve as he swung his shield forward, but was deflected by the metal arm of Bucky. A gun was pulled out in response and two bullets were fired at Steve, which were blocked by the vibranium shield. A lucky bullet had grazed the side of Steve, cutting open his suit and wounding him a little. This did not stop him as he continued to disorient his best friend. As the hand to hand combat got more fierce, Bucky began to falter a bit, allowing Steve to pull one of the chips out, and now all he needed to do was put the chip in.

When Steve had thrown a punch at Bucky's face that knocked him back a little, that managed to piss him off and tackle both him and Steve off the side of the railing, landing on a small platform right above the glass floor just a few feet below where they were. The chip was knocked from Steve's hand, and sat at the edge of the platform.

As the two engaged in hand to hand combat once more, Bucky delivered a punch to Steve's face that sent him spiraling into the air a bit, and landing on the edge of the platform. The blonde grabbed the chip as Bucky came over towards him. The black haired male effectively knocked the chip out of his hand sending it further below them to the glass floor, and this caused Steve to punch Bucky in the face once more, disorienting him, and then kicking him off the ledge and to the floor below.

Steve's mind was only on the chip at this point, and as he ran over to its location he was met with his own shield hitting his back. He stumbled a little before rolling over to face Bucky pulling out a gun, shooting two bullets that were blocked by his shield, before Steve pulled his arm back and launched his weapon at him. He used his metal hand to deflect the shield then ran over to Steve holding his signature knife.

Just like back on the highway Steve had tried everything not to get stabbed, but an awkward angle had given Bucky the ability to plunge the knife deep inside Steve's right shoulder. He screamed out in agony as he felt his flesh tore, contorting to the knife as a throbbing pain followed at the stab wound. He also had to ignore the sound of Tony's voice, worrying about him. He couldn't focus on that right now, and instead headbutted his best friend two times in a row before he finally threw Steve off to the side.

The blonde took the knife out of his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he felt the flesh tore the other way, and saw Bucky grabbing the chip. Anger coursed through him as he grabbed Bucky by the throat, lifting him into the air, before slamming him and flipping him over back onto the surprisingly strong glass floor.

He managed to hold Bucky's arm tightly under his own arm, as his other hand pushed his face away. The black haired male tried his best to punch Steve in the face to get him to let go, but to no avail.

"Drop it!" Steve yelled the first time. His best friend didn't comply as he still tried to hit Steve. "Drop it!" He said a second time, and this time he put a little bit more force into his hold. He bent Bucky's arm upwards a little bit, and a sickening crunch sound was heard, followed by a scream of agony from Bucky as Steve broke a bone in his arm. The man would still not let the chip go. That's when Steve had enough.

He dropped himself onto the floor, wrapping one arm around Bucky's neck and applying pressure, effectively putting him in a choke hold. The Winter Soldier tried his best to struggle out of the suffocating hold, but Steve was too strong for him. He used his metal arm to try and pry one of Steve's arms away, but the blonde simply used his strength to overpower that of the other man, and place the metal arm beneath his leg. As Steve held his position, the struggling had ceased to slow down, until suddenly it stopped and the chip was dropped. He let out a sigh of relief and grabbed the item, making a hasty upwards scaling back to the control center to place the chip.

"One minute." He heard Maria's voice say. He was running out of time and he needed to get there fast. Millions of people were counting on him!

As he got up on top of the platform, he screamed out in agony again as he felt the flesh in his left calf tear. The sound of a gun going off, and a bullet being placed inside. He looked back and could see Bucky standing there, eyes trained on him as he held up his gun. He couldn't stop now, he had to keep going.

He ignored the pain and jumped on to the smaller ledges just below the railing. That was when the sound of another gunshot was heard, and a searing pain shot through Steve's right shoulder. He grit his teeth, and held on tight. He had to keep going.

"Steve..? Are you ok?" Tony voiced his concern. The voice of the genius was enough motivation for him to keep going, he didn't need to answer right now. He needed to save him, and everybody else.

"Thirty seconds Cap!" Maria shouted shakily. He managed to reach the controls, body feeling heavy as he willed himself to stand up straight. He could feel the pain coursing through the bullet holes, it was hard to ignore at this point.

"Dammit…" He whispered to himself. He fumbled for the chip in his pocket. When he finally grabbed it and was about to enter it into the vacant slot, he felt the most excruciating amount of pain in his life.

Bucky had managed to shoot a bullet straight through Steve's abdomen, causing the blonde to fall onto his knees, turn around, and rest his back against the cold steel of the wall. He felt his breath being taken from him, he could feel all the pain coursing through him. His vision was fading in and out, blood loss becoming imminent. He looked down and saw the impact the bullet had caused, and fear had started to take its course.

Steve's Captain America outfit was tainted red from where the bullet had exited, and he couldn't be more sick. He was having a small panic attack as he struggled to find his breath. Paralyzed by fear, the seconds ticking by, and he could feel the failure already setting in. A voice he was familiar with, and missed so dearly, was able to break him from his thoughts.

"Steve… I know you're in a lot of pain right now, and I'm sorry I can't be there to help. I wish I could, but right now this is your mission, and we need you… I need you. I know you can do this. I want you to come home. I don't wanna know what it feels like to lose someone you care about. So please… Finish the mission for me?" Tony said. Steve grit his teeth, and struggled to get back up. He felt the seconds tick by faster as he turned around, and with a shaky hand, he inserted the last chip.

"Charlie locked," trembled Steve. It hurt to speak for now, but he completed his mission and got to relax for a few minutes to catch his breath.

Tony saw the green light go off for the last helicarrier, and immediately put in the last algorithm to lock the helicarrier. When that was done, all red dots had disappeared from Maria Hills monitor, and now the only red dots were the three helicarriers.

"Ok Cap get out of there." Hill commanded him.

"Fire now," was his weak response. Maria stood there frozen, she knew he was still on there, and hesitated to give the order to Tony.

"But, Steve-"

"Do it! Do it now!" He yelled, cutting her off.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, and uttered the words, "fire now Mr. Stark."

Tony wasted no time with running the last algorithms, and pushing the button that started the heavy fire of the helicarriers onto themselves. He sat back, knowing that if Steve died today, his blood would be on his hands, and he wasn't ready for that.

As the explosions became more fierce, one thing in particular stood out to Steve as he struggled to get up. The scream of his best friend, trapped underneath a large support beam. Panic invaded all his logical reasoning, and he forgot about the Bucky that had tried to kill him, and only saw his best friend that needed saving. He used his super strength to lift the beam, and Bucky crawled out from under it.

The destruction outside was less tame than the destruction inside. Alpha had crashed into the water below him and near the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, breaking in half and flooding the entire base. Bravo had crashed into the Triskelion, effectively destroying the entire building. Charlie was the last one to remain in the air, but even it started to break apart inside as it was starting to hurdle towards the ocean.

Steve looked at Bucky, wanting to find his best friend who was lost in the confusion of what Hydra had done to him. Both men were tired and panting heavily, but Steve was not leaving here without his best friend back.

"Bucky, you've known me your whole life." He stated simply. Bucky was trying to process the words coming out of Steve's mouth, wanting to find the logic in them. The only thing he found instead, was anger and he backhanded Steve with his metal arm, disorienting the super soldier.

"Your name… Is James, Buchanan Barnes-"

"Shut up!" Yelled Bucky, cutting Steve off and punching him in the gut. This laid the blonde sprawled out on the floor, face first. He didn't fight back however, he wasn't going to hurt his closest friend anymore. He just wanted him back, to know that his old friend, Steven Grant Rogers, the scrawny kid from Brooklyn, missed him so much.

Steve got back on his feet, throwing his cowl off so that Bucky could see him. Confused blue eyes stared back into determined ones as Steve spoke to him. "I'm not gonna fight you," he started off, dropping the shield from the helicarrier as it made its descent into the water below. "You're my friend."

Tony sat there, listening to every word come out of Steve's mouth. He couldn't do anything except listen to the poor man trying to get him back, he just hoped that somehow this would work.

Bucky retaliated by tackling Steve to the edge of the helicarrier, sitting over him as he gripped the collar of his Captain America suit tightly, and with venom in his words said, "you're my mission." That's when the strings of punches from his metal arm started to connect with Steve's face. Each blow sent the blondes head backwards a little, and the skin on his face started to crack away, leaving a swollen bruise and a small patch of blood.

Tony could hear each punch given to the man, and the shouting of the words, "you're my mission," coming out individually before the punching stopped. He couldn't take this anymore. He got up from his seat and had JARVIS bring him a suit. He needed to go see Steve, sitting here after the mission was over wasn't part of Tony's plan.

Steve strained to open his eyes and look at the pained expression of his childhood friend. He could see the anger and confusion, and he didn't blame him. His face hurt like hell, but that didn't matter, he didn't want to hurt Bucky anymore. If he was Bucky's mission, and killing him would help his friend, then that's what he would let the man do.

As Bucky finished yelling those words at Steve's, the only thing Steve could say in return was, "then finish it." As he looked into Bucky's blue eyes, he could see the hesitation in his eyes. He was conflicted and didn't know what to do, so he took this chance to say something that he knew Bucky would hopefully remember from their childhood.

"Cause I'm with you to the end of the line."

He saw Bucky's facial feature morph into one of remembrance, his eyes widening at what Steve just said. Steve could feel the pain all over his body, and the most noticeable one was the pain in his heart. It didn't matter that Bucky shot Steve multiple times, or busted up his face, it was the fact that Bucky was alive, but was reduced to being an assassin for Hydra, and only finally realized who Steve was.

As the tears flowed down Steve's cheeks, the glass floor gave away as a flaming support beam fell on top of it. Steve felt himself falling, and as his eyes stayed fixated upwards, he could still see Bucky looking down on him. Steve felt his body start to shut down, but it never really hit him that hard until his body had collided with the freezing cold water below. His mind and body went into shock, both shutting down, but Steve could vaguely see someone crashing into the water before the world around him ceased to exist.

* * *

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

The continuous beeping sound was all Steve heard as his senses came back to him. He felt in less pain than he was in before, but the stinging sensation on his face didn't really seem to fade. His eyes had started to flutter open and he noticed that he was in a hospital. He hated hospitals ever since he was pre serum Steve, always being in a hospital thanks to how sickly he was. He was distracted from his distaste as he also took into account that one of his hands was currently occupied. He looked down, and his heart melted at the sight in front of him.

Tony was sleeping next to him, head rested on the bed he was in, and his hand laced with Steve's. He could make out a few dried tears, and his ruffled hair as if he'd been pulling on it. He thought the genius looked absolutely stunning, and couldn't believe he stayed here by Steve's side until he woke up. The thought makes him wonder how long he's been asleep for, but that can wait for another time.

Steve used his other hand to gently run his fingers through the brunette's hair. A soft sound of pleasure was heard, and he felt the genius squeeze his hand slightly. He smiled as he was met with the sight of those caramel brown eyes he loved so much, and loved them even more when they widened and a smile spread across his fellas face.

"Steve…?" Whispered Tony. A tear slid down his face, and Steve used his thumb to wipe it away, the smile never fading from his face.

"I'm here Tony," he whispered back, squeezing the hand holding his. He felt arms wrap around him, and Tony's head snuggled against his neck. He returned the gesture and held onto the technically older male, rubbing a hand up and down his back trying to soothe him.

"Don't you ever fucking do something like that again. I was scared I lost you…" Tony said softly. He pulled back and looked at Steve, sad Caramel eyes finding happy baby blues as they stared at each other. Steve chuckled a bit before saying,

"Only if you promise first."

Tony smiled and nodded his head, whispering, "I promise," before placing his soft lips against Steve's.

The blonde held the brunette close to him, scared to let him go. He wanted more moments like this, and wanted to spend them all with Tony. His infatuation had grown more ever since the first kiss they shared. Even if Steve's first kiss since 1945 had been with Natasha, Steve's first official kiss with a guy was taken by none other than Anthony Edward Stark, and as they kissed, the thought made Steve smile into it more. He was so happy to be alive, so happy that Tony was alive, and even more happy to be right where he wanted to be.

Falling hopelessly in love with, and kissing his one true fella.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Alright, and this concludes Winter Soldier. Now next events will happen right after this chapter is done, meaning that Age of Ultron is next, and after that comes Civil war. Time skips will continue after Civil War is finished, either directly after everything is concluded, or a little bit more down the line.**

**ANYWAYS, I just wanted to say to those of you who have made it this far in the story, that I appreciate you. Knowing that you took time to get this far puts a smile on my face. I hope you are being safe and healthy, and enjoying your life as much as you can during this Pandemic know as COVID-19.**

**I accept any and all constructive criticism and positive feedback. If you feel like it, please leave a review and tell me how I am doing, or if you want you can private message me! **

**Until next chapter! Bai Bai!**


	8. Chapter Seven: My Fella

**Author's Note: **

**Hello, it is me, the author of this story, telling you that this is a relatively short chapter. It's full of fluffy bits; or as fluffy as I could make it, generally speaking it's more on the tame side of things.**

**I feel as if the ending is a little lack luster, but eventually when this entire story is finished I will happily (and effortlessly) revise the story to feel a little more perfect, all within reasonable time.**

**As usual, all quotes/dialogue and characters belong to Marvel, I don't own that. Without any further delay, please enjoy this short, yet sweet chapter.**

* * *

When Steve was released from the hospital later that day, he was absolutely ecstatic. He was going home back to Avengers Tower. The best part about all this, besides living with his teammates inside the tower, was that he got to spend the day with Tony.

The only downside to all of this was when they were leaving the hospital. You see, even though Tony didn't really mind that he and Steve were doing couple things, despite not being official yet, he knew the media would still be an issue. Much to Steve's displeasure, he wouldn't hold his hand in public, and it made him sad. It also didn't help that Agent Romanoff leaked all of S.H.I.E.L.D.S files onto the internet after the whole Project Insight event. Now everybody knew the truth about the organization, her, and information on Steve himself, his identity was no longer a secret. However, Steve didn't really care if people knew about their private life, even after what Natasha did, he just wanted to be able to act the way he wanted around the genius.

When they got back to the tower, they were greeted by the rest of their teammates. It appears that they all seemed to have settled in already, much to Tony's surprise. However, he in return had a surprise for them.

"_Since S.H.I.E.L.D. is no longer existent, you all belong to me. Yes, I'm buying the Avengers. Now you don't have to have Fury breathing down your backs all the time, and we can conduct our own missions as needed. You're welcome."_

Those words were spoken just merely hours ago, and he remembered the expression on everyone's face. The mixture of shock and happiness, still vivid in his mind and it brought a smile to his face. Hell, he even remembered his and Natasha's little tradeoff earlier.

"_Wow Stark, you might want to be careful, it's almost like you care about us."_

"_Hey, that's my line Agent Romanoff, get your own."_

He looked at the man sitting across from him, lost in thought of what to order from the menu he brought them to. It was really cute the way Steve's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out what he wanted, and the way he bit his lip when he was unsure. He absolutely adored his eyes that sparkled against the light shining above them, those piercing baby blues that he could easily get lost in. He had it bad for the Captain, but was that really a bad thing?

"_Hey, Agent Romanoff. I just want to say thank you for taking care of Steve. You're the best."_

"_Hang on… Did Tony Stark just thank me!?"_

"_Ugh, come on I'm trying to be nice here. You're making it harder than it needs to be."_

"_Don't worry genius, secrets safe with me. I'll always have Steve's back just the way I have yours."_

"Whatcha thinking about Tony," the blonde questioned, effectively breaking Tony out of his thoughts.

"Uh… You." He said abruptly. He bit his lip and smiled, a small blush coming to his face at his words. He stared at Steve, adoring the way he smiled at him, and the small chuckle that erupted after. It was cute, as well as a little contagious, so it made the other chuckle in return.

"That's sweet. I would say the same, but I'm too busy trying to decide what to eat."

"I can assure you whatever you get it'll be amazing. This place makes quite the American cuisine. Best steaks this side of New York." Reassured Tony.

Steve nodded his head at the brunette, and finally decided what to get when the waiter returned. Tony had told Steve earlier that he could just order the same meal as him, but the super soldier wanted to make his own choice on what to get. He didn't mind being Cliché and doing it, but where was the fun in that?

"You know, I'm happy that you agreed to go out on this date with me." Steve said, promptly after the waiter had left with their orders and menus.

"Why would I not say yes? Hello, date with Captain America? I can rub this in everybody's face," Tony said, chuckling towards the end. The blonde chuckled back in response, and then reached across the table and took one of Tony's hands in his, playing with his fingers a little bit.

"It's just… I never really thought I'd get this far. The whole Avengers, and Bucky thing really messed me up. There were times where I wanted to give up, but I never did. Thanks to you."

Tony raised an eyebrow as if Steve lost his mind. What the hell did Tony do to save Steve when he was busy escaping the ocean and tracking him down.

"I didn't do anything really Cap, you were already plenty strong on your own-"

"No, Tony. I'm not as strong as you think I am," Steve interrupted. Tony stared at Steve with a sad smile, and the super soldier took this as the time to continue. "I was scared, and I was lost. After losing you, my mind was in shambles. I didn't know who to trust, and I had an organization branding me a traitor and coming after me," he sighed softly, "the serum made me physically strong, but that's the only part of me that is strong. My mind is weak, I was crumbling down and I could only think of you. I thought to myself "what would Tony do," and "I wish Tony were here." I felt weak without you, and I almost lost Nat. You were right Tony, everything special about me came out of a bottle."

Steve looked down ashamed at himself. He was supposed to be their leader, but how could he possibly be called that when he himself wasn't strong enough to protect his best friend, or himself. Hell he was Tony's bodyguard, and he practically thought he failed that too when he watched the genius plummet towards his doom. It ate him up inside, and he could feel his body starting to shake a bit.

He felt his other hand being taken by the man sitting across from him, prompting him to look up. Caramel eyes stared into baby blues, noticing the sad smile on his face, and the way his eyes stared at him with compassion and concern. He watched Tony lean over, placing his soft lips against Steve's. They shared a small kiss before the genius sat back down and kept his gaze on the super soldier.

"You're an idiot." He said. Steve laughed at his response and shook his head.

"Thanks."

"Let me finish." Steve nodded his head and kept his mouth shut, prompting Tony to continue. "There is nothing wrong with being scared Steve, it just makes you stronger. You pretty much had the whole world on your back, and you damn well made sure that Agent Romanoff got out of this alive with you. When you were breaking down and wanted to give up, trying to ask yourself what I would do, you did exactly that. You kept pushing forward and you didn't give up even if your body kept telling you to. I damn well know that makes anybody strong, and nothing about you is weak. The serum never made you who you were Steve, you were always this incredibly smart, strong individual from Brooklyn. No serum can take that away, or give you that. You always had that in you, and it's the part of you that I absolutely adore."

Steve was at a loss for words, so he simply smiled at the man he adored as well. Tony shrugged his shoulders and squeezed Steve's hand before saying,

"I'm still shit at this whole relationship thing. I figured you'd be the first one to keep me in check, ya know, to make sure I don't go back to the whole playboy thing."

Steve brought Tony's hand up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of his hand. He adored the way Tony rambled and said the craziest of things. It always kept the smile on his face and calmed him down.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to make sure that you don't become a playboy again. I wouldn't want anybody else to have my fella." Steve said, blushing a little bit at his words.

"Your fella?" Tony questioned, a hint of amusement in his voice. Steve nodded his head and spoke once more.

"Yea, I want you to be my fella, Tony. I wanna make it official. I wanna hold your hand, and kiss you just like how we are now. I don't care what the media thinks of me, or you, or _us._ I wanna know that I'm your fella, and you're mine. So, what do you say?"

Tony's smile spread across his face, and he swore he could feel his heart starting to beat just a little fast. The man who he used to hate all his life because of his dad, who didn't give a single shit about what the press or anybody had to say, was asking him to be his boyfriend, in just the cutest 1940's possible way.

"You're a sap," a small chuckle escaped past his lips, "but I'll be damned if that's not something I like about you. Of course I'll be your fella."

"Then I guess I'm your fella too," Steve leaned over the table and kissed _his_ fella gently. They both smiled into the kiss, for once in their life both males were genuinely happy. They had each other, and through all odds were able to find some peace in their lives to share this moment.

When the food came, they kept talking throughout the meal, getting to know each other more. There was never a dull moment between the two, the smiles they bore always reached their eyes, a chorus of heavenly laughter that didn't cease to stop even for a moment. If you asked Steve about this date, he would tell it was the best he's ever been on. If you asked Tony on the other hand, he wouldn't say anything about the date, he'd simply tell you that being with Steve was the best thing that's ever happened to him.

* * *

The day was coming to a close, and the two finally returned from dinner, holding hands all the way back to the tower. Steve had told Tony about how he didn't care about what the media said, that all he wanted was to be able to hold Tony how he wanted, kiss him whenever he wanted, and let the world see him with the man he was with. It didn't matter what the media thought, he only cared what Tony thought instead. Who was the genius to deny the blonde what he wanted? So, he happily relented into letting his super soldier hold his hand as they walked back home.

When the elevator stopped at the top roof of Avengers tower, they expected everybody to be asleep by now, but instead they saw one particular spy sitting on the couch and looking towards the elevator.

"Hey boys, how was date night?" Natasha asked. While Steve blushed, Tony rolled his eyes and let go of his hand, making his way over to the spy.

"Why are you awake anyways? Shouldn't you be in bed like a good little assassin?"

"Oh ha ha, you're so funny. For your information I had a job to do."

"What was it?" Steve asked, coming over and sitting next to Tony. He put his arm around the genius and held him close, kissing the side of his head as they looked at Natasha.

"Well if you must know-"

"Wait, let me guess. Your job was to raid the fridge for snacks?" Tony interrupted. She shook her head and rolled her eyes before looking at the two males again.

"No you idiot, I had to gather intel on a man named Strucker."

"So what did you find." Steve asked.

"Well, before S.H.I.E.L.D. was destroyed, Strucker had already taken the Scepter to a bunker in Sokovia. For what purpose, I'm not too sure, but if a Hydra German scientist has it we can't be too safe." She explained.

"So you want the Avengers to go to Sokovia and take back the Scepter?" Tony asked her, one eyebrow raised. She nodded her head in response.

"When exactly do we have to leave for this mission?" Tony added.

"Today."

A massive groan was heard from Tony who got up from where he was, and walked away from Steve and Natasha. It was almost too good to be true. When he and Steve finally got together, had an absolutely amazing first date, it had to be ruined with a mission. He rubbed his face up and down with his hands, fatigue starting to set in.

"Why do the bad guys always have to start some shit? Why can't they just take a fucking break for a little bit?" Tony voiced his frustration. He sighed heavily into the air and crossed his arms, back turned and not noticing his boyfriend coming up from behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Tony, it's alright. If we have a mission today we should rest for a bit. I wouldn't mind cuddling with you for a while before we have to leave." He planted a soft kiss on Tony's cheek, causing the genius to melt, his facial expression softening a bit before turning around to face Steve.

"You're right, we should be sleeping right now. Sorry we can't talk anymore Agent Romanoff, Steve and I are gonna go hit the sack."

Steve blushed furiously as he looked at Tony, embarrassed at the words he just used in front of Natasha. He turned back to her and she had a smile on her face, which soon turned into a fit of laughter as she looked at Steve's face. He then heard Tony start to laugh shortly after as he stood there, face red, and a small frown on his face.

"I don't mean literally hit the sack Steve. That's metaphorical for going to bed. Although if you're into that kinda stuff then-"

"Tony!" Yelled Steve, causing the other two to laugh even harder. He shook his head and grabbed his boyfriend's wrist, taking him to the elevator so they could go to their rooms. Before the doors closed, Tony said goodbye to Natasha. When they finally closed, he had an amused look on his face as he turned to Steve.

"It's cute watching you get all flustered. I should embarrass you more often, Cap." Tony said, a small smirk plastered on his face. Steve groaned and let his head fall back to hit the cold metal of the elevator.

The two rode in silence for a bit until the elevator stopped on Tony's floor. Being the gentleman that Steve was, he kindly let the genius get out first, and walked the man to his door.

"I had a great night, Steve. Thank you so much for asking me on a date and asking me to be your fella, it was sweet." Tony said once they reached his door. The blonde smiled at him, then proceeded to place a soft kiss on Tony's lips, smiling even more when he felt the genius kiss back and wrap his arms around his neck. He opened the door, still kissing the brunette as he led them inside. Once the door closed their lips parted from each other, and pleading caramel browns looked into sparkling baby blues.

"Sleep with me?" Tony asked abruptly. Steve was taken back a little, a small blush appearing on his face once again.

"Don't you think it's kinda early in our relationship to be asking me to sleep with you?" Questioned Steve.

"You're right, sorry it was just the in the moment kind of thing. We just had our first date, and I'm moving too fast. Forget I said that…" Tony trailed off. He bit his lip and turned away from Steve, making his way to the bed. Steve watched Tony faceplant onto the bed, his body going limp once it made contact. He chuckled before walking over towards the brunette, gently crawling on the bed to lay next to him.

"I wouldn't mind sleeping with you, but I wanna take things slow. I care about you, and I wanna make sure you enjoy being with me." Steve said, running his hand through Tony's hair. The brunette had his eyes closed, but a small moan escaped past his lips. Tony absolutely _loved_ it when Steve ran his fingers through his hair. It always sent a jolt of electricity up his spine, and he could never stop himself from making a small sound of pleasure escape into the air.

"Alright you big sap, come cuddle with me. I need some warmth from my favorite blonde super soldier."

The words from Tony brought a wide smile onto Steve's face as he brought the man closer to him, placing a kiss to his temples as he held him. The genius rested his head onto the blonde's chest, noting that this would always be his favorite spot. He sighed happily as he inhaled the sweet aroma of Vanilla, which caused him to nuzzle even more in Steve's warm embrace. He could also listen to Steve's heartbeat as he relaxed and let exhaustion take over him. Before he knew it, he felt his body relax, and succumbed to the much welcomed feeling of slumber, something his body has missed deeply. However, just before he passed out, he heard a few words that he would remember for the rest of his life.

"Sleep tight Tony. I want you to know that no matter what happens, you'll always be my fella."

That night, Tony fell asleep with possibly the biggest smile on his face.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**These chapters are slowly starting to catch up to me and I must say I am still on chapter ten. As to why, it's going to be the longest chapter in the series, since it is the Civil War chapter.**

**Without giving too much away, I will say I am proud of scenes I have added, and I feel like I'm geared towards the right direction. Only a few more chapters to go before Civil War, and then after that Infinity War. Don't worry, I still have some other loose ends to patch up and give context too before I bring everything back to the prologue (which peaked your interest into reading this or you wouldn't be here right now :^) )**

**Anyways, I hope everybody is staying healthy and safe during these times, and I accept any and all constructive criticism and positive feedback. If you want to let me know what you think of the story or how I'm doing, or anything you have questions on, feel free to review or message me privately.**

**Until next time, Bai! 3**


	9. Chapter Eight:In Tony Steve Trusts Part1

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, hello there fellow reader who has made it this far in the story, it is I; the Author (obviously) of the story. I will try to breeze through this as to not distract you, so just hold on for a little bit longer.**

**I wanted to say thank you to those who have favorited and followed this story, it means a lot to me, and I wanted to thank all the people who have viewed this story. I honestly didn't think to get this far, but I'm happy that people have stumbled upon the story. I would also like to say that after this first installment is done, I promise I will go back and reread all the old chapters and spruce/fix up my writing style (as it feels lack luster). I also broke up this chapter into two parts because, well, it was bordering 50 pages.**

**Now, usual disclaimers: all quotes/dialogues and characters do not belong to me, all those rights go to marvel. Also Warning: this chapter contains mentions of abuse and **

**Without further delay, happy reading!**

* * *

_His teeth chattered as he rubbed his arms up and down, trying any means to warm himself up. The snowstorm had gotten worse, and he could feel the air drop in temperature. He could feel the way the snow kissed his cheeks, how the chilly air tried to seep into his bones. He absolutely hated the cold, but he needed to find him. He was lost somewhere, and he needed to be rescued. _

_He could feel his body starting to give up, but his resolve was strong. He needed to find him as fast as possible, he couldn't live without his fella._

_He made his way through the frozen tundra, trees heavily laced with snow. As he went deeper, he felt ice start to form around his body, clinging to his torso and arms, hugging his legs to slow down his footsteps. He felt the thick snow crunching under his feet, leaving a small numbing feeling in his toes. The chattering of his teeth got worse, and his body was losing heat abruptly, his eyes started to get heavy, exhaustion setting in, making him want to give up and collapse onto his knees.. He started to panic. His breathing became a bit shallow and his body started to shake violently, but he pressed on. He needed to find Tony and fast._

_Just then he saw something. The familiar hues of gold and red catching his eyes. He felt a random surge of warmth suddenly course through him, and started to run in the direction of the other male, ecstatic that he was able to find his lover. He could wrap his arms around Tony and finally feel an actual source of warmth that was all but null void of his body._

_That's when the worst happened._

_He heard a loud, sickening crack of ice under his feet, shattering like glass windows, and felt himself submerged in water, the freezing temperature hitting his body, wrapping invisible arms around his body, coiling, trapping him in a state of shock. He wanted to scream, but his mind all but stopped as soon as he hit the water. He could feel his body beginning to shut down just like how it did when he crashed the Valkyrie, the same feeling of ice pooling around his body, trying to encase him once more like it did 70 years ago._

_He looked up and saw him. He saw Tony, standing above the crack in the ice trying to reach out for him. He willed his hand to reach up and try to grab his outstretched hand, but it was too late. He felt his body shutdown, and he could feel himself falling to the bottom of the water. He could still make out the vibrant colors of the armor as his eyes trembled in fear, gaze fixated on the familiar colors that were slowly being lost from his vision. He felt himself slipping more, and the colors of the Iron Man suit was nothing more than a spec of dancing black spots, clouding his vision, replacing the image of the man he would no longer see again._

He jolted from his spot on the bed, heart beating violently in his chest as he struggled to breath. He shivered as he could still feel the invisible arms around him, hugging his body. He looked around, noticing he was still in Tony's room. He released a shaky breath he didn't know that he was holding, and as he looked next to him, he realized said genius was nowhere to be found.

"Captain Rogers, do you need me to get Mr. Stark? It seems you are having the beginning of a panic attack." Said JARVIS.

"No! No, you don't need to do that just… Where's Tony?" Steve asked in a hushed voice.

He felt… Strangely cold.

It's as if the warmth in his body suddenly didn't exist anymore, like it was slowly being taken away without him noticing. And it scared him. He started to shake and found it harder to breathe. His mind was lost, in a state of shock, the feeling of coldness crept up all around him, coiling around him like a python would its prey. He didn't like it, he needed warmth, he needed to feel_ safe._

"He's in his workshop upstairs. However, are you going to be alright, Captain Rogers?" The AI asked. It almost felt like… He was sad to see Steve in such a state of shock, concerned, even.

Steve threw the covers off of him and began his trek to the roof of the tower.

"I'll be fine JARVIS, but thanks for caring."

"You are most welcome."

When the elevator doors closed the blonde let out a shaky breath. He could still feel his heart beating at a rapid rate, but it thankfully decreased back in speed as the elevator ascended. When the elevator doors opened, he proceeded to go head towards the workshop. As he got closer, he could vaguely make out the figure of the genius, moving around at his desk. He noticed the man working on the same suit he had prior to the attack on his mansion.

"Hey, Tony?" Questioned Steve. The brunette's head shot up at the sound of his name, turning around in his chair and smiling at his blonde boyfriend.

"Yea babe? I thought you'd still be sleeping by now." Replied Tony.

"I could ask you the same thing," Steve said, making his way towards his partner. He wrapped his arms around Tiny waist, pulling him close. He leaned down and pressed a small kiss on his lips, which the genius happily returned. As he smiled against the other's lips, he felt warmth slowly creep up on him; as if the cold sensation he felt earlier ceased to exist. When they parted, Tony happily took Steve's hand and patted the seat next to him.

"Why are you up so early? I mean, I know you're a super soldier and you don't really need sleep, but is there something bugging you?" Tony asked.

"Well that is true, and I really regret sleeping this time around." Steve said, looking down at their entwined hands and playing with Tony's fingers.

"What's wrong?"

Steve sighed and then looked into Tony's eyes, a frown residing on his face.

"I uh… Had a nightmare." Steve said softly. He felt Tony run his hands through his hair and it helped him relax. He eased into the touch and closed his eyes, a smile nestling it's way onto his face.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Steve thought for a moment whether he should keep the nightmare to himself so he didn't worry Tony. He knew the genius suffered through his own. He was there for Tony when he had a panic attack early in the morning, and ever since then he's been worried for the other male. He didn't want to stress his fella out more than he probably already was. However, since they were now in a relationship, maybe telling the truth would help a whole lot better.

"I had a dream where I was in an arctic tundra looking for you. I absolutely hate the cold, but I had to get you back. I don't know who took you, but you were there and I couldn't live if something happened to you. As I got further into the area, my body started to shut down," he let out a shaky breath before continuing, "I could feel ice cradling my body as I kept going, as if there were invisible arms holding be back, my feet going numb as I continued to push through the snow. Then, when I saw you I started running over to you and then," he paused and squeezed his lover's hand, "there was an icy lake under me and I fell through. I started to sink to the bottom, losing sight of you as I got lower." Steve swallowed the lump in his throat and felt his heartbeat quicken. The recollection of the nightmare was just as bad as living through it, and it made him uneasy.

"If it makes you feel any better, I have nightmares too-"

"Yea, but I already knew that," Interrupted Steve, "I was there when you had the panic attack and-"

"But if I told you what they were about would that make you feel better?" Interrupted Tony. Steve thought for a second and then nodded his head, prompting Tony to continue. "I still have nightmares about New York, and sometimes I have nightmares about Afghanistan. Then there are nightmares where," he paused and looked into Steve blue eyes, " where I lost you, and I felt just as helpless as you did. The worst part is, sometimes there's a voice inside my head that seems to know me. I can't hear it completely, but I know it's there. I want you to know that I'm here for you Steve, we can conquer these demons together."

"I think I'd like that." Steve smiled, rubbing his thumb over Tony's knuckles. "I'd like that very much. I'm here for you too honey, till the end of the line." He smiled knowing how cheesy it was to say that, especially since it was his and Bucky's catchphrase growing up. That still didn't take away the meaning it held after so much time has passed.

"Ya know it's funny, I spent all my life hating you, and now, I absolutely adore you." Blurted Tony. He didn't know what compelled him to suddenly tell the blonde this information, but he kept going. "My dad never loved me growing up, in fact he actually hated me. You on the other hand, he'd always praise you whenever he talked about you. I thought you were cool, you were my hero growing up, helped me get through my childhood. As the years went by, I realized that Howard never saw me the way he saw you." He felt a prickling sensation in the back of his eyes, tears starting to well up, but he continued, looking at Steve's mesmerizing blue eyes. "He was abusive to me and my mom, sometimes hitting me with a belt, and other times he'd just say "fuck it" and use his fist. All the bruises, bloody noses, welts, all the pain I had to endure, and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for protecting me. I love her for all she ever did for me. There were also days where I was hoping you'd save me since you didn't like bullies, but somewhere I despised you." He flattened his lip into a thin line and shrugged his shoulders, fighting back the tears threatening to spill over. "I hated how Howard paid more attention to you; hell, he practically told me he always wished I was like you. I could never live up to the great Captain America, and the fondness I had for you turned cold. So, out of spite, I hated you too. Now I don't know what I'd do without you…"

He closed his eyes and let a few tears run down his cheeks. He shortly felt two arms wrap around him, pulling him close. He held onto Steve, head rested on his shoulder, sobbing a little bit as he recalled every bit of torture he had to endure with his mom. He remembered every beating, every drunken fueled rage unleashed upon them, every hot piece of equipment Howard would make him hold as a child, and every time he dropped it he would get yelled at. That's why Tony never liked to be handed things. It stemmed from his father's abusive behavior, and he was always too scared to accept things from anyone in fear that the object being handed to him was scalding hot, and he would be forced to drop it.

"I'm truly sorry Tony… I never knew you went through something like that. If I were around at the time and I knew what Howard was doing to you and your mother, I would've stood up for you both. It's unacceptable a father would do something like that to his wife, let alone his own son. I don't know if it means anything to you, but I won't let anybody hurt you as long as I'm around." Reassured Steve.

Tony's once loud sobs diminished themselves into tiny sniffles as he felt himself relax against the blonde's shoulder. He smiled sadly, touched by Steve's words. He felt guilty that just because of his horrible father, he had resorted to hating this man, which was absolutely unfair. Without truly realizing it, he grabbed Steve's wrist, leading his hand under his shirt, brushing against his warm skin, and finding its resting spot on the Arc Reactor. He felt the super soldier tense up, his fingers brushing over the contraption and the skin around it. Tony swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to calm his nerves. The irrational fear of the Arc Reactor being ripped from his chest was slowly slithering it's way into his mind. He knew Steve wouldn't do something like that; the super soldier wore his heart on his sleeve, and Tony never saw any malicious intentions, nor did he ever feel threatened when he was around Steve. He put all his trust into Steve, and it helped him to warm up to the idea of exposing his biggest fear.

"I trust you," he whispered, body relaxing just a little bit. "You already know that this thing in my chest is keeping me alive. There was a time when someone I trusted ripped this out of my chest." He let out a shaky breath, remembering when Stane stood over him, that wicked, murderous smile on his face as he ripped the Arc Reactor out of his chest. "I felt myself dying slowly, like the Shrapnel was slithering its way downwards, entering my heart and killing me. I felt my breathing become shallow. Ever since then I've had this irrational fear of letting anybody, except Pepper, touch the Arc Reactor, but now… I trust you with my life Steve."

Steve was shocked to say the least, unable to find the proper words to describe how he was feeling right now. It touched him to know that Tony was brave enough, in this vulnerable moment, to tell him about his fears, let alone trust him with his life. As he felt the genius slowly relax, he kept his hand over the Arc Reactor, gently rubbing his fingers along the outer edges of the object. He kissed the side of Tony's head and continued to hold him close, resting his chin on the top of the other males head.

"I'm sorry you went through so much Tony, and I'm sorry for everything I said on the helicarrier." Before the genius could voice his thoughts to him, he continued. "I know you said it's fine, but you've sacrificed yourself twice already. The second time I thought… That you wouldn't make it back. The guilt ate away at me and I wouldn't ever forgive myself if I didn't say sorry one more time. So, once again, I'm sorry for what I said Tony. Can you please forgive me?"

Tony smiled at the blonde in front of him, words laced with deep regret and sadness, just at the mere thought of never seeing Tony again. He leaned forward and placed a small, chaste kiss on his lips before pulling away. "I already have Steve," he said, squeezing the hand that was under his shirt and on the Arc Reactor, before standing up. "Let's go back to bed, we should try to get some sleep before we have to go to Sokovia."

"You're right, and I will say I missed your presence in bed." Steve replied, smirking at Tony before standing up as well. As they made their way towards the elevator, Tony suddenly said,

"Oh wait, shit, I almost forgot to show you this." He turned back around and walked towards the back part of his lab, grabbing Steve's shield and glove, casually bringing it to him.

"I figured the team could use some new gear and well, I spruced up your shield. If it ever gets lost in battle and you need it, there are electromagnets on the glove that match the ones on the shield. Once you activate them, it'll come flying to you." Explained Tony, a smile on his face.

Steve looked at him and copied the same smile on Tony's face. He felt happy and kinda giddy knowing the genius would do something like this for him, let alone the entire team. He was so going to have to repay Tony for this.

"Oh, and your motorcycle is in the garage. I fixed it after the incident at the mansion, and I think you'll like it. Now off we go to dreamland!" Exclaimed Tony. He put down Steve's new enhanced gear and took his hand in his, leading him into the elevator and back to Tony's room.

They snuggled up together once more, Tony's head on Steve's chest, and Steve's head on top of Tony's, arms around each other in a warm, comfortable, loving embrace, that brought a smile to both of their faces. Tony could hear Steve's heartbeat at a soothing, almost hypnotic, yet rhythmic way that helped him to relax. He kissed his chest, which in return caused Steve to kiss his forehead, before both of them fell asleep.

* * *

The mission was simple; infiltrate the Hydra bunker, find Strucker, take him into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, and retrieve Loki's Scepter. Easy enough right? Well, perhaps easy is what the Avengers were expecting when they arrived.

Once the team; minus one hammer wielding Asgardian, was assembled, Natasha thoroughly debriefed them on the information she collected. As they were apart to depart towards Sokovia, they felt a small thud on the ramp entrance of the Quinjet. There stood, in all his usual metallic armor and red cape, typical Asgardian warrior prince fashion, Thor. Natasha was the first to sigh, wasting no more time, as somewhat happily, debriefed him on the situation as they took off.

As the appearance of snowy trees came within view, notifying their arrival in Sokovia, they assembled a plan. Steve and Tony would enter the bunker; Tony had the job of retrieving the scepter, and Steve would be in charge of retrieving Strucker. Before Steve could enter the bunker, he and the rest of the team would deal with whatever Hydra soldiers were on the battlefield until Tony gave the all clear that Steve could come in. The plan was simple enough, but sometimes plans change unexpectedly.

When they hit the ground running, Hydra soldiers were already alerted of their presence, and proceeded to defend the bunker on the snowy tundra outskirts of Sokovia. Tony and Thor took to the skies, while Steve, Clint, Hulk, and Natasha took to the ground. Bruce wasn't originally supposed to be part of the ground battle, but with the giant cannon like bunkers shooting at them, it was a good time for what the team like to call: a "code green."

As Steve and the rest of the Avengers including Thor were taking down Hydra baddies, Tony's eyes spotted the giant castle shaped bunker they were debriefed about. He zoomed closer and closer to the giant building, about to break through the roof, but was met with a forcefield that ricocheted him away, sending him spiraling out of control in the air for a little bit.

"Shit!" He yelled.

"Language!" Steve yelled back. Tony furrowed his eyebrows and scrunched his face in confusion. Out of all the many times Tony has sworn, whether outloud or in front of the Captain, why would he make such a big deal about this now. Before he could make a comment about the Captain, Steve continued by saying, "JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken."

"Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last," chimed Thor, prompting everybody else to start talking into their comm devices as well.

"At long last is lasting a little long, boys." Said Natasha, shortly after taking out some Hydra soldiers.

"Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise," Clint replied, shooting arrows, and effectively taking out the soldiers from a distance. This is when Tony decided to take back center stage before anybody could say another word.

"Is no one seriously going to comment on the fact that Cap just said, "language?""

"I know." Steve sighed. As he rode his bike through the snow covered forest, a tank appeared before his vision, barrelling it's way towards him. He didn't hesitate to throw his bike at the incoming tank, the impact ceasing it's advance and blowing it up in the process. "It just slipped out."

Tony smiled at the adorable innocents of his boyfriend. He would definitely make sure to tease him about this later, but right now he needed to find a way to get through the protective barrier.

"JARVIS, do you see a power source for that shield?" Tony asked.

"There's a pathway below the north tower," came the quick reply, and just as JARVIS told him the little tidbit of info, Tony's eyes located his target. There was a small opening in the bunker; a single open window with small, short sparks of electricity that seemed to be jumping out into the wind. He smirked and released an electromagnetic nullifying missile, an EMP blast, at the power source, and within a few minutes, the dance of electricity all but ceased, effectively disabling the shield. He watched the white protective shield slowly cascade down the bunker like condensation on a cold glass. As he smiled to himself, all moments of silent celebration were cut short as frantic voices filled his ears.

"We have an enhanced in the field, he's a blur. Do not engage," Steve said, followed by,

"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac," from Natasha.

Tony bit his lip, contemplating his options. As he was about to about to go down there and get Clint back to the Quinjet, he heard Thor say,

"I can get Barton to the jet. The sooner we're gone the better. You and Stark secure the scepter."

He felt himself relax a bit, focusing back on the task at hand. He soon found himself mysteriously smirking, an idea forming in his head. He felt an opportunity to embarrass Steve arise, and he couldn't let that pass by so quickly, so before he entered the building he said, smugly, "and for gosh sake, watch your language!"

He heard the long sigh of said soldier, and he had to bite his lip in order to combat the violent sensation of laughter that was bubbling within his chest. "That's not going away anytime soon."

"It's adorable babe, don't worry about it," replied Tony, landing inside the building shortly after. When he got inside, he was met with a few Hydra soldiers, who upon his arrival, had started shooting at the Iron Man suit. Tony put his hands up in mock surrender. "Guys, stop, we gotta talk about this." In their state of confusion, two small devices on the shoulder pads of the Iron Man suit deployed, and small pellets were fired, whizzing through the air, finding their intended targets, and effectively incapacitating the soldiers. He smirked to himself, and sarcastically said, "good talk," before commanding his suit to stay in sentry mode, opening the chest cavity to allow him to exit the suit freely while JARVIS took over and kept watch.

He walked over to an open computer, looking at the screen he saw S.H.I.E.L.D. files were currently open. It contained info on not only Loki's scepter, but on some of his teammates as well, including him. Tony took out a flashdrive from his pocket and inserted it into the USB port, letting JARVIS take over, collecting all the data that would be sent to Agent Maria Hill later.

"Make sure you get it all JARVIS, and then copy that straight over to Hill." Tony said as he took a few steps away from the computer. He furrowed his eyebrows and scrunched his face in confusion, stopping just a few inches away from the forgotten device on the table, listening to his surroundings. In the faint distance of the room he was in, there was a whisper of wind, the faintest sound of a hushed air current located somewhere within the room. "Hey, J, can you give me an IR scan of the room, real quick," he asked.

A faint blue light analyzed every area within the room, leaving no corner untouched. "The wall to your left. I'm reading steel reinforcement and an air current." Replied JARVIS.

"Please be a secret door," he hoped, repeating the words to himself several times as he came face to face with the coordinate JARVIS gave him. He pushes on that particular part of the wall, revealing exactly what he had hoped for; a secret door within the confinement of looking like an ordinary wall.

"Yay," was the simple response he gave before venturing down the stairs into the newly discovered room. His feet thudded against the steel steps, the sound reverberating as he got closer towards the bottom. A brief sound of static attacked his ear and he winced, hitting the communication device in his ear, fixing the issue just enough to barely pick up Steve's voice.

"We have a second enhanced. Female. Do not engage." He rolled his eyes as he continued his descent down the stairs. His feet touched the bottom, coming into contact with solid ground. He pushed further into the barely lit room, eyes frantically looking all around him. His breath hitched as he realized, what seemed like normal pieces of discard debris, was actually Chitauri alien tech. His eyes started to tremble, but he pushed forward. As he traveled further into the room, his blood ran cold, and he felt like he was suffocating. Trembling brown orbs casted a fearful gaze slowly upwards as he saw the towering, unmoving yet almost alive leviathan carrier, whose razor sharp teeth stared right at him, casting his scared reflection right back at him, was right within his personal space. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his breathing coming back to him is ragged shallow intakes as he tried to keep himself calm, not wanting to succumb to the panic attack that was slowly clawing at his neck. A small blue light broke his gaze, and he willed his eyes away from the monstrosity, his gaze finding the prize he came here for.

_Loki's Scepter._

He smirked to himself and walked towards the glowing object, hand stretched out ready to take what was theirs, but suddenly, he felt a weird sensation come over him, and he swore he saw a red misty aura slither past his vision. He blinked his eyes, confused at what he was feeling, until a loud, piercing screech erupted behind him. He felt himself tense up and turned, fear wrapped it's invisible hands around him as he saw the leviathan spring to life and fly in front of him. He jumped out of the way, his gaze followed the creature, and his blood ran cold, his body started to shake violently.

It was like his nightmare had become a reality, the scene in front of him too good to be true, it was just like what he saw in the portal from New York; an entire armada of leviathans and Chitauri littered within the vast majority of space. He willed his shaky body forward, ignoring the background of space around him as he looked at his teammates bodies littered on the floor, unmoving, broken and bloodied. He noticed Hulk, whimpering softly, spears in his back. Thor laid on his back, Mjolnir just within reach, a trickle of blood creeping down from his mouth as his eyes stayed open. His eyes traveled lower and spotted the two assassins on the team; Clint and Natasha. Clint's back was against the slabs of gravel, arrows embedded in his chest, head held down, and Natasha, whose eyes were closed, a pool of blood stationed at her head, staining her already fiery red hair a more dark color. The worst of them all, was when he looked at Steve.

A sob escaped past his lips, his knees feeling weak and wobbly. He collapsed in front of his lover, tears ran down his cheeks like a river, dripping onto the cold hard ground and near the blonde. Tony saw his shield, torn in two, completely broken, and his eyes closed. He reached a shaky hand towards Steve, wanting to touch him, to know if a pulse was still there. He yelped loudly when his hand was grabbed by the blonde, scared caramel brown eyes, met dull baby blues, a mixture of pain expressed within Steve's eyes as well.

"You… could've… saved… us." Steve strained. Every word was like fire to the dying man, where every pant and huff of his breath as he spoke, it told Tony how much pain he was in. He wanted to help Steve, he wanted to take the pain away, but he couldn't. He knelt there, watching the pained expression on his face bore into his mind. His body continued to shake, never taking his eyes off Steve. Tony watched as Steve's head slowly fell backwards, resting on the cold, dark blood stained gravel. Fresh blood started running down his nose, and as his hand let go of Tony's wrist, his lifeless eyes stayed open, gaze fixated on Tony before finally going limp.

"Why didn't you?" The whispered words of his now dead lover bounced off his cranium, and he couldn't take it anymore. Tony let out a scream of agony as he watched the life drain from Steve's eyes, yelling for him to come back, wanting him to so desperately return.

"Please, Steve I'm sorry! I didn't… I didn't mean to kill you!" He yelled. He wiped the tears from his face, but they kept flowing down his face like a waterfall. When he looked in front of him again, Steve, and the rest of his team, were gone. He started to hyperventilate, the image engraved in his mind as he started to succumb to the panic attack that was starting to form from earlier. He continued to cry, crawling over to a corner near the scepter, and cradling himself, soft whispers of "I'm sorry" spoken to himself, as he rocked back and forth.

Steve, on the other side of all of this, was wondering where Tony was. He should've gotten the Scepter by now, so what was taking him so long?

"Anybody seen Stark?" Steve asked into the comm device.

"Sorry, Steve, none of us have seen him," Natasha replied, "we thought he'd have gotten the scepter and met up with you." He sighed to himself and looked back at the building. After capturing Strucker, with very little ease; as if the man behind all of this didn't even bother to put up much of a fight, he never really heard from Tony after that. He bit his lip, starting to become more increasingly worried.

"I'm gonna go find him, I'll meet you guys back at the Quinjet." He ran back inside the building with urgency, running back to where he found Strucker, and then searching the perimeter from there. His super soldier hearing picked up on something, a faint whimper in the distance, and the oh so familiar voice of the man he was searching for. His heart started beating faster, thudding against his chest. He used his enhanced agility to get to Tony as fast as he could, scared that something horrible is happening to him.

The sound of Tony's cries got louder, and progressively closer. His blood ran cold as the piercing, blood curdling scream of agony from the genius, pierced his eardrum, traversing across the walls, as if crawling their way towards him.

"Tony!" He yelled. "I'm coming honey, just hang on!" He reached the room where Tony had been prior, and saw the secret pathway where the genius lay. He bit his lip as he descended the stairs, preparing himself for the worst.

He moved towards the back of the room, ignoring and disregarding all the Chitauri tech around him. He reached Loki's scepter, looking over the blinding white light, until he found Tony. His heart broke at the sight of his fella, crying, whimpering, rocking in pain, head tucked in with his knees to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around himself, shielding his head from Steve. His hair was disheveled, the indication that a shaky, trembling hand, who's fingers curled and pulled at his hair for the past few minutes, caused Steve's breath to hitch as he continued to look at the broken, scared figure of his lover. He swallowed the lump in his throat, a prickling sensation forming behind his eyes as he slowly walked towards him. Tony's head snapped up, and Steve saw the flow of tears, cascading down his face like a small stream, leaving a ghostly trail behind.

"Tony…" He whispered. He took one step closer towards the genius, and his chest tightened when the brunette's eyes widened, fear gripping at his throat, choking him, clawing at him, making Tony squash himself closer to the wall, whimpering, and trying to get away from Steve.

"N-No! Stay away from me, please I'm sorry! I… I didn't mean to kill you, Steve, I'm sorry!" He yelled frantically. Steve bit his lip again, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. He knelt down, and once more with a shaky hand, he tried to reach out and touch Tony. He flinched in response again, and Steve let out a small gasp of pain. Whatever happened to him, caused an effect so great that he would simply cower in fear, unwilling to even want to be touched by the man he was in a relationship with, and for Steve, it hurt like hell.

"Tony… Honey, please. I need to get you and the scepter to the others, but I need to help you up. Will you let me?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper. The broken genius looked at him, nodded his head slowly. Steve inched slowly closer to Tony, with careful, delicate precision, not wanting to hurt him as he gently carried him bridal style. Tony wouldn't stop shaking violently in his arms, and his pleads of sorry did not go on deaf ears. He buried his face into the crook of Steve's neck, his breath hitting the pale skin, drawing Steve to hold him close, scared that if he were to let go the genius would break in front of his eyes more. He kissed Tony's forehead, taking a few steps towards the Scepter, and then slowly, gently, with every ounce of care in the world, placed Tony's feet on the ground, making sure to hold onto him so he could stabilize himself.

"Please forgive me, I never wanted to hurt you… I didn't mean to kill you." Tony sobbed. Steve held him close, kissing the side of his head, comforting him, consoling him before he reached over and grabbed the Scepter, promptly leaving the area afterwards.

"Guys, Tony took a hit. He's pretty shaken up. Have Dr. Cho ready to treat him back at the tower, in case something happened." He heard a soft whimper come from the shorter male, and he bit his lip. He looked down at Tony, teary eyes looking back at him as he shook his head. He sucked in a small wisp of breath before speaking again. "Actually… Scratch that. Let me see if I can help him. If I can't, then we'll get Dr. Cho to help."

He wanted Tony to seek the help of a medical professional just in case something major needed to be done, but the state Tony was in right now, he wanted to make sure he was comfortable. He didn't want to take the chance of the genius freaking out in his current state, so he would stick next to Tony for a bit and see if he could help.

When they got back to the Quinjet, the team (minus Clint, who was busy trying to recuperate after being shot ) was in a state of worry. From the first time they all met him, he seemed like a guy who wouldn't let his true emotions show. There was a facade to Tony Stark; he was sarcastic, quirky, cocky, but he always had a way of making you feel special in his own way. Looking at him now, clinging to Steve's side, the sounds of hiccuped sobs and little droplets of tears, slipping down his cheeks, they couldn't help but worry about him. Steve said to give them some space so they could talk and figure this stuff out, and if Tony wanted to tell the team, then that was his choice. They all understood and went back to either checking up on Clint, whos wound left him incapacitated for a bit, navigating their way back home, and, or, making a phone call to Dr. Cho.

"Do you want to talk about this now, or later?" Steve asked, whispering into Tony's ear so the others couldn't hear.

"C-can we please wait till we get home? I'd feel much better, maybe after some coffee." Steve gave a sad smile, kissing away any tears that were still staining Tony's cheeks. It brought a little smile to Tony's face, but it didn't stop the shaking. "Do you think… We could sit down, Steve?" Tony looked at him pleadingly, and he nodded his head.

"Can I hold your hand? Is that ok, Tony?" He asked politely. Tony nodded his head, opening his palm and allowing Steve to intertwine their fingers, letting him lead them over to a vacant spot on one of the seats on the Quinjet. Tony rested his head on Steve's shoulder, face in the crook of his neck once more, squeezing his hand, and closing his eyes as he tried to relax in the comfort of his super soldier. Steve used his spare hand to slowly run his fingers through Tony's hair, carefully letting his digits slide their way through the brown, greasy, yet silky smooth, curly locks, effectively helping to relax the brunette, and ease the tension in his body. Within a few minutes, he felt the weight of the genius all on his shoulder as he fell asleep. He looked down and smiled, placing a kiss on the side of his forehead before looking up, his eyes meeting a pair of greyish greens far away, near the front of the Quinjet.

Natasha smiled at the sight, knowing Steve would do anything in his power to make sure Tony was both comfortable, and safe. As she looked on, a thought crept into her mind, slowly taking root, grasping at her hand and squeezing it for reassurance. She figured that, when they returned, she owed Stark an apology for what she wrote in her report, and for what she said on the helicarrier.

Steve returned the smile and looked back down, once again, at the sleeping figure of Tony. He picked up their joined hands, kissing the back of Tony's hand, before resting his head on top of the other males. He took in the scent of the genius, a happy sigh escaping his lips as the smell of oil and grease wafted through the air into his nostrils. It reminded Steve of when he spent time with Tony in the workshop, sketching off to the side as he worked. He kept his eyes open as he didn't feel tired, wanting to be awake when they returned to the tower. He smiled, gears turning in his head, formulating a plan on how he would try to make Tony feel better.

* * *

Upon immediate arrival to the tower, Steve had taken the liberty to wake Tony up. The genius made some sounds of protest, but woke up shortly after. He stretched for a bit, enjoying the way his back popped, before looking up at the face of his blonde boyfriend, smiling a bit.

"We're home, honey," he returned a similar smile as he spoke. Tony nudged Steve's face with his, earning a small ounce of laughter from the super soldier before getting up, Steve following in pursuit. He walked the brunette out of the Quinjet and made their way to the roof of Avengers Tower. "You still up for talking?"

"Yea… Let me talk to Bruce first, I have something I need to tell him." Tony looked back at Steve, the smile still plastered on his face. "Honestly, I really think we should get a new place. The tower is nice and all, but it screams "home of the Avengers, please attack me."" Steve chuckled at Tony's choice of words. His smile turned into a lopsided grin, raising one eyebrow at the brunette, a sort of amused expression written on his face.

"You say the darndest things, honey." He reached for Tony's hand and held it, smiling when he squeezed back in response. His eyes darted to the geniuses lips, and un-subconsciously licked his own in response. "Can I kiss you?" The words darted out of his mouth. He so badly wanted to proceed with the display of affection, to feel those soft lips on his, to feel the sweet, fiery sensation across his lips every time they kissed, since it had become normal between them, but after the hit Tony took, Steve wanted to take precaution so he didn't set the man off.

"I think it's sweet that you're asking for permission, but I can assure you, that's the one thing you don't need to ask permission for. No matter what happens to me, or you, or between us, that's something you'll never need to ask permission for." Tony explained. Steve chuckled before placing a gentle, soft kiss on Tony's lips. When they pulled apart, Tony sighed happily, then said, "as much as I like kissing you, I need to go speak to Bruce. I'll see you in our room."

Steve raised both his eyebrows, shocked at the words Tony just spoke. Before he could utter a word, he was cut off by the genius.

"Yes, you heard me correctly. I said _our_ room. Now go wait there and get changed, and then later we'll bring your shit- I mean, _stuff_ to our room."

"Language," smirked Steve. Tony just shook his head and rolled his eyes, a soft chuckle promptly following in pursuit.

"Go you big blonde goofball," he said, pecking Steve's lips before he could leave. The blonde nodded and walked away from Tony, which unbeknownst to him, gave the genius a great view of his backside.

'_Damn, that is America's ass right there.'_ Tony thought. He shook his head, casting away his inappropriate thought of his super soldier, and made his way into the tower to find Bruce.

He found the Doctor and fellow scienebro in his lab, face deep in holograms, littered around his face, suspended in the air, and the Scepter, lying in front of him. "Hey, Brucie-Bear." Bruce's head snapped upwards, his focus shifting away from the information cluttered around him, to look at Tony walking over to him. "Find anything neat and interesting about the Scepter?"

"Well from the scans JARVIS had given me," he pointed at one of the holographic screens in front of him, "there seems to be something within the Scepter. The exterior is the casing for what's inside." He looked over the information, and the schematics of the jewel. Tony made his way next to Banner and squinted intently, eyes scanning across the plethora of info, focusing in on something from the information in front of them.

"It's alien isn't it?" Bruce looked up at Tony, their eyes meeting, and a slow, conformational nod was given. Tony sighed, fingers running over the holographic information, filtering and flicking through each screen, eyes running over every inch of data, only stopping abruptly when he reached the end of the final screen. He scrubbed a hand up and down his face, walking away from the area to grab a tablet a few inches away, typing in a few algorithms on the device before he stopped, eyes looking back towards Bruce. "My god, this is something else," he whispered. He walked back over to the Doctor, typing in a few more commands before an orange, holographic, spherical shaped object appeared before him and Bruce.

"Tony?" Bruce questioned.

"I analyzed the information JARVIS had collected from the Scepter, and frankly speaking, it looks like word vomit. Now, I want you to think for a bit," he turned and looked at Banner, "this right here," he motioned at the orange orb, "is JARVIS. Now what's inside the scepter however," he pulled up another holographic model of a blue, much larger orb next to JARVIS, "this is what's inside that thing. Now just analyzing and plugging in a few algorithms, I think I wanna take this," he pointed at the blue orb, "and convert it into creating Ultron."

Bruce looked at Tony as if he was crazy, eyes widening a bit, looking between him and the blue orb.

"I thought Ultron was just a fantasy."

"Yesterday it was," Tony motioned to the blue orb once again, "this could be the key to creating Ultron. Hear me out, what if we applied this to the Iron Legion protocol-"

"That's a mad sized what if."

"-and we were to establish world peace. What if the world was safe. Come on work with me here Brucie-Bear. Don't you want to relax, and not have to worry about the next time you might turn green. Hell you wouldn't even have to worry about VERONICA."

Bruce rolled his eyes and pointed a finger at Tony. "Don't hate, I helped design VERONICA." The genius scoffed and placed a hand on his shoulder, a small smile on his face. Bruce sighed in return and shook his head. "So you're going for an artificial intelligence and you don't want to tell the team. You don't even want to tell _Steve, _of all people?"

Tony bit his lip as Banner pulled the guilt card. Yes it was wrong of him to not tell his boyfriend what he was up to, but it was for his own good. The image of his team, bodies scattered around the floor, blood pooling around their lifeless bodies, flashed back into his head. He swallowed the lump in his throat and regained his composure, nodding his head.

"We don't have time for a city hall debate. I see a suit of armor around the world, Dr Banner, and I want to do this to _protect_ the team."

"That sounds like a cold world, Tony."

"I've seen colder," he shrugged, "the very vulnerable blue one, needs Ultron. Peace in our time. Imagine that." He smiled and patted Bruce on the shoulder, starting to make his way towards the elevator. "As much as I want to help, I got a hot super soldier waiting for me. We can work on this later buddy! Don't wait for me!" He turned around and yelled.

Bruce rolled his eyes and let the man leave, working on trying to go through the Ultron protocol, and uploading it's data to the blue orb.

When Tony reached the elevator, he was startled when it opened, considering he didn't get to press the button. Maria Hill had stepped out of the elevator, smiling at him. Another womanly figure, Dr. Helen Cho, accompanied her, taking her place next to Agent Hill.

"Hey there boss." Said Maria.

"Actually, Steve's the boss. I just pay for everything, and design everything, and make everyone look cooler," a cheeky grin on his face as he replied. Maria just shook her head, and Dr. Cho gave a small chuckle. "So how's Barton? Did he flat line? Did you pull the plug? If you did, why didn't you call me?"

"He's fine, Mr Stark," Dr. Cho replied, "he's gonna make a full recovery. It took awhile to regrow his cell tissue since I didn't have my cradle technology, but he's still one hundred percent Agent Barton."

"Well, that's good news I suppose. Is there anything else I should know about before I go?"

"As a matter of fact yes," Maria spoke this time, "I just spoke to Captain Rogers, and gave him information on the two enhanced individuals you guys encountered."

"Alright, so tell me about them." Tony crossed his arms over his chest, one eyebrow raised as he waited for the explanation.

"Their names are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Experimented on by Strucker, orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building," Tony bit his lip at that little bit of information as she continued, "and I told him about their abilities. He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation."

"So basically he's fast and she's weird?" He put together logically.

"They don't call you a genius for nothing."

"Boosting my ego, I'd give you a raise if I were your boss, but sadly I'm not." That earned him a laugh from the two females, and he joined them with a laugh of his own. "Well at least we know more about them, and hopefully we can find them. Who knows what damage they can do." He trailed off before pushing a button to open the elevator, stepping inside then pushing another button that would take him to his room. "Oh before I forget, you're both coming to the party tonight right?"

"Do I look like a party person?" Dr. Cho said, a slight roll of her eyes. She looked back at him and added, "will Thor be there?" He chuckled at her and nodded his head before he disappeared behind the closing elevator doors.

He reached his room and saw the door was open. He walked in and was met with the sight of Steve dressed in a blue button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, shirt tucked into his black jeans, and hair neatly brushed. Tony bit his lip, eyeing the super soldier who was focused on his sketchbook. He didn't want to interrupt the sight, even if his pants were becoming a bit too tight in the front thanks to how good Steve looked in his outift, and just let Steve concentrate. The blonde looked up from his sketch, and smiled when he saw Tony.

"Hey, glad for you to finally grace me with your presence." He said, putting down the sketchbook.

"You should be glad, not many people get to be with_ the _Tony Stark," he smirked, walking over to Steve and plopping down next to him. Steve shook his head and rolled his eyes, turning his head to look at Tony.

"You should be glad that people put up with you."

"You see that, Rogers," he put a hand over his Arc reactor, "that hurts, right here." Steve chuckled softly at Tony's silly attitude, before leaning over to kiss the glowing blue light emanating from his shirt.

"Does that feel better?" He smirked and saw the blush on Tony's face. The genius started to cough subtly, trying to regain his composure, as well as diminish the heat that took residence on his cheeks.

"Well considering nobody has ever done that, which makes you the first, then yes. I'd say that does feel better." He smiled and kissed Steve's cheek, taking his hand in his as the blonde smiled back. "Although I will say, I don't remember teaching you to be sassy," he pointed at Steve, which just ended up putting the blonde into a fit of laughter.

"Well when you've been asleep for as long as I have, and the world around you has changed drastically, you tend to pick up a few things." Tony shook his head and playfully pushed the super soldier, erupting a chorus of laughter from Steve, and the blondes own playful push back in response.

"What were you drawing in your picture book? Oh, wait, let me guess. Was it pretty flowers," he raised his eyebrows as he teased Steve. The super soldier snorted and grabbed his sketchbook, opening it to the page he doodled on earlier. Tony glanced and felt buttrflies violently flapping and fluttering their wings in his stomach, a small surge of warmth radiating just below the Arc Reactor and the left, where his heart was, coiling, grasping at the shrapnel as if to hold it so he may experience this warthm for however long he wants. His eyes glanced over the sketch of him and Steve, holding hands just a few hours ago, Tony resting his head on Steve's shoulder, face in the crook of his neck, and Steve resting his head on top of Tony's.

"I don't know if you remember much, but this was what happened on the Quinjet. I told the team to give you space when we got there, and they were more than happy to give it. It was just you and me, and I got to hold you like this. The situation was bad, but the moment we shared wasn't, and I thought I'd capture that." He explained.

"I absolutely love it, Steve." Tony Whispered, his voice going quiet for a bit. "I love your drawings so much." He squeezed his hand, eliciting a smile from Steve, who looked into Tony's caramel brown eyes, and placed a kiss on the bridge of his nose.

"Wanna talk about it now, honey?" Tony nodded his head, letting out a small wisp of breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He felt his nerves start to get the best of him, clawing at his neck, gripping his hand with such ferocity that he felt it were on fire, his body starting to shake a little bit at the mere thought of recollecting what he saw. A soft kiss on the back of his hand, and the slow, soothing feeling of fingers running through his hair, massaging his scalp, had calmed him down.

"God I don't deserve you," whispered Tony, eyes closed as he relaxed against Steve.

"Don't say that Tony."

"It's true, Steve." His eyes opened, and he removed his head from Steve's shoulder to look into those lovely, vibrant, caring blue eyes. "I don't deserve you, or this team, because I'm a murderer." His hands started to shake, prompting Steve to try his best to calm him down by rubbing soothing circles on his back. "I saw you all dead before me, and it was all my fault. I killed the team. I killed… _You_ and I felt sick to my stomach."

"I'm right here, Tony. What you saw was created by Loki's Scepter."

"But what if it were true!" He stood up abruptly, and walked away from Steve, hands rubbing away the forming tears in his eyes. "What if in the future, I do kill you and the team? What will I do then? I'll be alone for the rest of my life, Steve. I don't want that…" He turned around and looked at the concerned face of his boyfriend, staring at him intently as he listened. "I'm scared to lose the people I value, and somehow Nat, the rest of the team, and especially you, have wormed your way into the little vault I keep locked inside of me, for special people to reside in. I don't want to hurt you or them."

Steve stood up slowly, walking over to Tony, and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him close to his body. "You won't hurt us Tony, we're already starting to become a family, and that means no matter what we'll always be there for each other." He whispered those sweet, loving words into the genius's ear, and felt Tony wrap his arms around his neck, holding onto him for dear life, scared to lose the man he has become so close to.

"Spoken like a true soldier and bodyguard. How funny is that?" Steve smiled and placed gentle, soft kisses on Tony's forehead, rubbing his hand up and down his back, soothing and comforting the man he loved. Tony, head rested on Steve's shoulder, taking in the sweet, Vanilla scent of his super soldier, sighed happily.

"I do want to ask you something, Tony." Steve said. Tony gave a small hum in response, not breaking the contact between them, and Steve took this as permission to continue. "I wanna know exactly how you survived the drop into the ocean, and how exactly you knew that I was with Sam and where he lived."

Tony chuckled and broke from the embrace, sitting back on the bed, Steve following his motions and sat next to him. "JARVIS was the one who saved me, actually, he did most of the work. He took control of the suit while I was panicking. Water worked its way into my helmet, and I started to have a panic attack. JARVIS simply told me to breathe, and I listened. He detached one of the hands and I grabbed onto it, before I knew it, he was lifting me from under the rubble and we shot off into the sky." He played with Steve's fingers, a small smile on his face. "He brought me back to the tower, and it just so happened that Pepper was there with Bruce. Originally she was hoping to find me so we could talk about stuff for SI, but saw the state I was in and decided to just wait. I asked her and Bruce if either of them had seen you recently, and sadly they haven't. So I had JARVIS help me find you. He took me to an old nursing home, since that was the last time your face was seen on camera- and can you believe Aunt Peggy is still alive,' he rambled off topic.

"Tony, I was there. Natasha told me." He said.

"Oh, right. Anyways," Steve chuckled at him as he continued, "I asked the front desk lady if she saw anybody who was Tall, with blonde hair, blue eyes and gorgeous muscles. She said I had to be more specific, and so I just narrowed it down and asked if anybody had come to see Peggy Carter. That's when she told me she did in fact see you, and informed me that you were talking to a man named Sam Wilson. When I asked about him she said he wasn't in, but gave me a card with his address. And that basically concludes how I ended up in that exact location."

"Wow, and here I thought you were going to tell me you put a tracker on my shield." That earned Steve a laugh from Tony, shaking his head lightly.

"No, but I could if you wanted me to."

"No that won't be necessary. Thanks for telling me all of this, it means a lot." Steve leaned down and pecked Tony's lips. "Now we have a party we should be attending, don't want to keep everyone waiting." Steve stood up and walked towards the door. When he turned around, he saw Tony biting his lip, staring at him. "What's wrong?"

"Your ass looks so fucking nice in those jeans. You're making it hard for me to just forget about the party so I can keep you locked in this room with me and have my way with you." Steve blushed furiously and placed his hands behind his butt, trying to cover it from Tony's gaze. "No no no, don't do that. I absolutely love looking at your ass, it's amazing by the way." He added, standing up and making his way over to Steve, and pinching his butt.

"Tony," yelped Steve, face turning more red. The genius laughed at how red Steve's face was, and to ease up on the teasing, hei placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"Come on babe, we have guests to attend to." He led Steve out of the room, and happily held his hand in his, ready for an awesome night with his team.

However, what was supposed to be a great night for the residents of Avengers Tower, would soon turn out to be a nightmare that they weren't ready for.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I have already finished part 2 and that will be up the next time I update, when will that be? It could be tomorrow, or the next day, or maybe even the next Friday. Just be on the lookout!**

**I accept any and all constructive criticism and positive feedback! Tell me how I am doing, and if you want to, by all means, go ahead and review, let me know what you think so far. We're getting closer and closer to the prologue scene, and that means closer and closer to the end of the story! Hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am. Stay safe, stay healthy, and I will see all of you next time!**


	10. Chapter Nine:In Tony Steve Trusts Part 2

**Author's Note:**

**Alright, sorry for not updating on Friday like I normally do. I have been feeling under the weather lately, but I am doing ok now. Also I just wanted to say two things. One, thank you for following and favoriting this story as well as the views (almost at 700, jeez), and two, this is the second longest chapter of the first installment. For those who like long chapters, here you go, and for those that don't, well, sorry XD.**

**Usual disclaimers, I do not own anything Marvel related, all quotes/dialogue and characters are owned by Marvel.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The party started off swell, everybody was mingling with each other and having a blast. Steve was surprised to see Sam there, but it brought a smile to his face knowing that Tony must have invited him here. The two had broken off into their own conversation, leaving Tony preoccupied with Thor, Rhodey, and Maria. Rhodey was telling him some cool joke about the war machine suit, but it wasn't particularly funny to the genius or the Norse God.

"Where's Pepper? She's not coming?" Rhodey asked

"What about Jane, too? Where are the ladies?" Maria chimed in.

"Well, Miss Potts has a company to run-"

"And as for Jane, well I have no idea what country she's in." Tony shot Thor a squinted look after he was rudely interrupted, and the Asgardian simply ignored it. "Her work on the convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer-"

"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on earth. It's pretty exciting." Tony smirked as he cut the Asgardian off, receiving the same squinted look from earlier by Thor. He took a sip of his scotch, the smirk still plastered on his lips.

"Yeah, they… they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together-Testosterone!" Maria fake coughed, "oh, excuse me."

"Wanna lozenge?" Asked Rhodey. Maria hummed in response and soon, Tony and Thor were the last two remaining from the group of four.

"But Jane's better," whispered Thor, earning an eye roll from the genius as he walked away from the Norse God.

Steve had been preoccupied with Sam, telling him the story of what happened at the Hydra bunker, making sure to leave out the part about Tony. He was considerate enough to keep the privacy of their talk between them, and would only tell anybody else if Tony wanted him to, or if he told them himself.

"Sounds like a hell of a fight, sorry I missed it," Sam said, walking up the stairs behind Steve.

"If I had known it was going to be a firefight I absolutely would have called you."

"No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough. I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy." Steve chuckled at Sam's response, slowing his pace as he saw Thor. "You find a nice place in Brooklyn?"

"I don't think I can afford a nice place in Brooklyn," Steve said, halting a few feet away from the bar, placing a hand on the railing next to him. He looked over the side of the railing, looking at the people on the first floor. He smiled a little, truth be told as much as he loved Brooklyn, he loved being at the tower more.

"Well, home is home, you know?" Sam added. Steve looked back at him, and then looked past him to see some of his teammates. He spotted Thor, talking to some old people and drinking with them, Bruce sat at the bar that Natasha was currently working at, Rhodey was busy telling jokes to a group of people. Laughs were heard from where Rhodey was, and then he looked over the railing to see if he could spot anybody else. He saw Tony, laughing, smiling, talking to Maria Hill and a few other people, enjoying a nice refreshing glass of ice cold scotch. The genius felt a gaze on him and looked up, spotting Steve. He smiled and waved at him, the same gesture being returned at him by Steve. He turned back towards Sam, a bright smile on his face and said,

"I'm already home," before walking over to Thor. The Asgardian greeted him with a slap on his shoulder, and Steve swears, if it wasn't for the serum his shoulder would be dislocated by how hard Thor had slapped it. He smiled and shared a drink with Thor, and the Asgardian was kind enough to share with him this one thousand year old, fine brewed alcohol from his family. He said that no mere mortal could handle it, which is why he handed one to Steve. One of the older men wanted to try, not buying his whole "no mere mortal can handle it" gibberish, and at first Thor told him no, but when the old man persuaded him into giving in, well, needless to say the old man had to be carried out gently because he was drunk beyond belief.

After Steve's little drink session with Thor, he went over to the bar to converse with Natasha and Bruce. She was busy making drinks for the two men and herself, when Bruce decided to ask,

"How did a nice girl like you wind up working in a dump like this." She smiled at him, handing him a margarita before working on her own drink.

"Considering that Stark would more than likely drink everything here," she motioned to the entire bar, "I figured I'd take the liberty of managing the drinks myself." She finished her own margarita, and as she was going to work on a drink for Steve, he stopped her.

"You can just hand me a bottle of Scotch and a bottle of red wine." The edge of her lip curved upwards slightly before she dug under the table for both requested bottles. Once she found them, they were placed in front of Steve.

"So, how are you and Stark?" She asked, once he grabbed both bottles.

"Yea if I may ask, when did you and Tony become so close Captain?" Bruce chimed in.

"We're doing fine, and if I'm being honest Dr. Banner, ever since the day on the helicarrier, when we got over our differences and worked together, have I since taken a liking to him." He smiled brightly and let out a sigh, eyeing both of his teammates before continuing. "It's funny really. Back in the forties I used to get beat up in alleyways, stood up to bullies because I didn't like em. I was the punk ass kid from Brooklyn," he smirked to himself. He always remembered Bucky calling him that, and to this day the name has always stuck with him. "I didn't know when to stop picking fights, but I guess after the incident on the helicarrier, and what Tony did to save New York, I figured, I picked the wrong fight."

"That's pretty sentimental of you, Rogers. Although, whether you like to admit it or not, the punk ass kid from Brooklyn is still within you isn't he," Natasha smirked at him, leaning forward, elbows propped up on the desk of the bar. He snorted and opened the wine bottle, taking a swig before putting it back down and returning the smirk.

"You would be absolutely correct ma'am. He didn't go anywhere, but he's realized to stick to fighting bullies, instead of being a bully himself."

"It's crazy to think that, we're all acting like a family now. Back on the helicarrier we were a chemical mixture, a ticking time bomb. Now we're bonding like two hydrogen molecules to one water molecule." Bruce said, earning a small chorus of laughter.

"It's amazing really, and I gotta say that-"

"Do you ever miss the forties, Steve?" Natasha asked, cutting him off. He sighed and looked at her, blue eyes meeting her greyish greens, taking in her one raised eyebrow, and the way her lips quirked in anticipation of the answer.

"I'll be honest, when I first woke up I wanted to go back. I miss my old life, my old friends, everything used to be so much more simpler. Now, everything is different now, so fast and advanced, and I'm still unfamiliar to all the new inventions around me. Now that I'm part of a team, I feel like I wouldn't want to go back now. I feel at home," he smiled as he felt two arms wrap around his waist, and a chin rested on his head. "I also met a really great guy, who assured me that romantic stuff like being with the same gender was a lot better now. I met a guy who no matter what, I'd always be there for him until the end of the line." He leaned his head back, and kissed the familiar pair of lips he loved so much upside down. He adored kissing Tony whenever he could, no matter who was looking, or where they were, he would be sure to try and kiss him whenever possible.

"You guys are sickeningly sweet, but if you keep this up, you're gonna give me a cavity." Natasha replied. The two broke apart from there kiss to share in a smile laugh, Tony running his fingers through Steve's hair, and Steve sighing happily at the gesture. "Banner and I are gonna go join the others downstairs. Seems like Thor is trying to play a game or something. Join us when you're ready." She raised the barricade of the bar and made her way downstairs, Bruce joining her after he nodded at the two lovers.

Steve had turned around in his chair and grabbed the bottle of scotch, holding it out for Tony. He took the bottle from the blonde and looked at it, a smile plastered on his face shortly after.

"Ah scotch, my favorite. Glad to know my boyfriend pays attention to what I like to drink," he winked, causing Steve to blush. He pecked his lips and motioned his head towards the rest of the team downstairs. "Come on, let's go see what they're doing." He held out his hand for Steve to take. The blonde stood up taking his hand, forgetting about his wine bottle as they made their way down towards the rest of their team.

"But, it's a trick!" They heard Clint yell.

"Oh, no. It's much more than that." Thor replied.

"Whatchu guys talking about, PointBreak," Tony asked, sitting down on the empty couch across from Maria and Rhodey, Steve next to him, putting his arm around Tony.

"He's talking how "whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!" It's all a trick man!" Clint repeated.

"Well, if it is a trick then go right ahead and try to lift the hammer," Thor told him, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Really?" Clint stood up and made his way over to the hammer, eyeing the Norse God.

"Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up." Tony joked, laughter erupting within the group, and an ever so small blush on Steve's face at Tony's dirty joke.

The archer snorted and grabbed the handle of the hammer, using all his might to try and lift it up, but ultimately failing. He sighed, and shrugged his shoulder in defeat, a small smile on his face as he said, "I still don't know how you do it," before sitting back down.

"Smell the silent judgement," Tony stood, making his way over towards the hammer.

"Go for it Stark." Replied Clint.

The genius put his hand through the strap on the hammer, and then placed his hand on the handle. "It's all physics," he smirked over at Thor, "and if I lift this I rule all of Asgard?" The Asgardian nodded his head, and Tony tried to lift the hammer. Just like Clint, he had also failed. He sighed out loud, and then got an idea that brought a smirk to his face. "Be right back."

When he returned, he brought back a gauntlet from his iron man suit, and a gauntlet for Rhodey. Tony tried lifting the hammer again with the gauntlet on, again to no avail, so he called Rhodey over. The two gripped the hammer and pulled with all their might, but alas, it was futile.

Next up was Bruce. He used both his hands to pull, and in an attempt to scare everybody, he let go and tried to imitate the Hulk's roar. Everybody chuckled at his attempt and he himself felt a little embarrassed.

"Come on babe, it's your turn. If anybody is worthy it'll be you." Tony reassured him. Steve sighed and stood up, making his way over to the hammer. He stood his ground, wrapped both hands around the handle, and started to pull, gritting his teeth. A little squeak was heard, and Thor widened his eyes. However, just like the others, the hammer didn't lift off the table. Steve raised his hands in defeat and made his way back over to Tony.

"Ok now that is complete bullshit! Steve's the most worthy person out of all of us!" Tony yelled, just a little upset.

"Well, if he were worthy then the hammer would've lifted. Since he didn't," Thor lifted the hammer and flipped it, "I can only say that he's not worthy."

As Tony was about to speak, a metallic screeching sound was heard within the room. The Avengers held their ears as the loud, piercing sound echoed across the room, until it stopped.

"Worthy… No… How could any of you be worthy? You're all killers." A cold, low robotic voice said to them. The group looked at the source of the voice, spotting the source standing in front of the elevator. A busted, worn out Iron Legion robot, falling apart with wires hanging out, and a twisted frown on the faceplate, stared at them, almost analyzing every single one of them.

"JARVIS?" Tony questioned, hoping his AI companion was playing some joke on him. The Iron Legion replica tilted it's head to the side before speaking again.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or...I was a-dream?" It paused before speaking once more. "There was a terrible noise...and I was tangled in... in...strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

Tony felt his blood run cold, body tensing at the words spoken to them. Everybody was accounted for within the team, but the one person who wasn't physically with them; Tony shuddered and tried to hold back showing any other sort of emotion, clenching his hands into fist so they wouldn't shake.

"You killed someone?" Steve chimed in, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices-"

"Who sent you," Thor with his grip tightening around the hammer, nerves on edge, had asked.

The Iron Legion robot looked directly at Tony, and he felt himself let out a breath he hadn't been holding.

"_Peace in our time."_

He felt the gaze of his teammates on him, and he wanted to shrink, to hide himself from their gaze. He felt and saw Steve's gaze from the corner of his eye. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and he knew the cat was out of the bag.

"Ultron?" Bruce asked.

"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission"

"What mission?" Natasha asked.

Ultron stared at them one more time and repeated the words, "peace in our time," before a few more Iron Legion robots bursted through the wooden walls of the Tower. The group dispersed and headed for cover. Glass shattered, and tables broke, beer bottles spilled, and couches were laced with bullet holes.

Steve, Tony, and Thor were taking care of the Iron Legion robots. Thor was swinging Mjolnir around, bursting through the iron chest's of the robots, and crushing them to bits when they got too close to him. Tony without his Iron Man suit, had to be more creative. He grabbed a screwdriver from the work space he and Bruce were at earlier in the day, and jumped onto the back of one of the Iron Legion robots. He jammed the screwdriver between the neck and shoulder of the robot with his palm, and the robot stopped it's aerial assault and went limp, falling down towards the stairs and taking Tony with him. Barton tossed Steve his shield. He caught it as he jumped in mid air, twirled his body, and flung it full force at the last robotic menace.

"That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve?" Ultron picked up the disassembled head of one Iron legion robot, staring at it as he continued to speak. "With these? These puppets? There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction."

Thor took the liberty to throw his hammer one more time, destroy the Ultron Iron Legion robot, ending his rant. However, somewhere within the tower, music was playing unbeknownst to the Avengers, as more robots were being made by Ultron. They also failed to realize that one of the Legionnaires had successfully escaped the tower with the Scepter.

* * *

When the fighting stopped, the Avengers had regrouped and looked through everything. Tony bit his lip as he looked at his tablet. He didn't want it to be true, but sadly it was. When Ultron said he killed someone, he meant he had killed JARVIS. The AI was the only physical entity that wasn't at the party, and with all the humans in the room, this had to be the only logical thing that made sense.

"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch." Bruce told them.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other," Natasha replied, "he said he wanted us dead, how do you think he'll manage to do that?"

"He didn't say dead. He said extinct." Steve retorted. He was on edge a little bit, slightly scared out of his mind, but also a little bit hurt that Tony would create something like this.

"He also said he killed someone." Clint said, voicing his own thoughts.

Tony bit his lip, and looked at his team. They looked back at him, questioning gazes on their face. "Yes, he did kill someone. Although, not a human," he said, pulling up a hologram of JARVIS. The once perfect orange orb, was now tainted with mixtures of blue, disassembled into small molecular parts that broke the spherical shape that was JARVIS's code.

"JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense." Steve said.

"No," Bruce said right after Steve, "Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is...rage."

Their hearing picked up the sound of Thor returning to the tower, coming back from the patrol they sent him on to track down the rogue Legionnaire. What they didn't expect however, was for the blonde Asgardian to pick Stark up by his throat, and hold him in the air.

"Thor!" Steve yelled, but the Norse God ignored him.

"Come on buddy, use your words," Tony struggled to say against the vice like grip Thor had him in.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark." He replied coldly, voice low and threatening. The genius felt scared for his life. He really messed up with the Ultron protocol, and was already blaming himself for what happened to JARVIS.

"Thor, let him go!" Steve yelled once more. The Norse God released his grip around the genius's throat, a loud gasp of breath coming from Tony once he was released. "Now please, what's your report on the Legionnaire."

He gave a small glare to the brunette, walking away from him as he gave his report. "Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again."

"I don't understand," the voice of Dr. Helen Cho spoke up, "You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?"

He doesn't know what came over him, but he started laughing. The reaction however, did not sit well with the already pissed off Asgardian, as he saw Thor make his way back over to him. Steve got between him and Thor, making sure that the man didn't hurt him in any way. He understood that he was really upset with how Tony was acting, but that was no reason to lay harm on your teammate.

"You think this is funny?" Thor said, looking at Tony and ignoring the blonde super soldier that was between them.

"No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so...is it so...it is. It's so terrible," Tony snarked, taking the situation more as a joke than something serious.

"This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand."

Tony rolled his eyes and got fed up with the accusations that Thor was making. He stepped from behind the protective barrier that was his boyfriend, and stood face to face with the Asgardian, eyebrows raised and an amused smile on his face.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this."

"Tony, maybe this might not be the time to…" Bruce warned.

"Really," he yelled looking at Bruce is disbelievement, "That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls?"

"Only when I've created a murder bot."

Tony huffed out a breath of annoyance, but continued his little rant to the rest of his team. "We didn't. We weren't even close."

"Tony," came the soft reply of his boyfriend from behind him, "The Avengers are supposed to be different from S.H.I.E.L.D." He let his head drop to his chest at Steve's words. He sighed and turned around to look at his boyfriends blue eyes, his arms crossed over his chest, staring back into Tony's caramel brown eyes.

"I know that Steve, but just here me out," the super soldier nodded, "A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day, but that up there? That's...that's the end game," he turned to face the rest of his team, "if I didn't do what I did, how were you guys planning on beating that?"

"Together." Replied Steve.

"We'll lose."

"Then we'll do that together, too." Steve walked over to Tony, wrapping his arms around his waist, and placing a soft, gentle peck on his lips before staring into his eyes and saying, "Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

* * *

"He's all over the globe. Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place." Maria Hill spoke.

After coming to an agreement about needing to figure out where Ultron was, they turned to old files Tony had stashed away. Occasional reports from across the globe would come in, and Maria Hill took it upon herself to relay this information to Steve while the rest of the Avengers were working in the common area.

"Any Fatalities?" Steve asked.

"Only when engaged," she shuffled through some reports on her tablet before continuing, "mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see."

"Maximoffs," Steve sighed to himself, running a frustrated hand through his hair, "makes sense he'd go to them, they have someone in common."

"Not anymore."

She handed him the tablet, a picture already set on the screen, and he swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked at it. He stared at the picture of Strucker, dead in his holding cell, the wall containing the letters "peace" written out using his blood.

As he continued to look at the picture, his super hearing started to pick out someone's voice. He ascended the stairs, and heard the voice coming from his right. He saw Clint, talking on the phone. With whom, he had no idea. The blonde archer noticed his presence and quickly told whoever was on the other end that he had to go.

"Who was that?"

"Girlfriend."

Steve nodded his head slowly, not really believing what the other had to say since he never mentioned a love interest, but chose to just walk away, meeting up with the other Avengers who were on the second floor of the common area.

When he got there, Tony was the first to notice his presence, happily walking over to him and noticing the tablet he had in his hands.

"Whatcha got there, babe," he raised his eyebrows as he asked. Steve looked at him and held the tablet out for him to take. Once he grabbed it and saw what was on it, his face paled a bit.

"A message. Ultron killed Strucker." He explained.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us." Tony scoffed, putting the tablet down and walking back over to the dozen of boxes that littered the floor.

"Now that doesn't make any sense," Natasha chimed in, "why send a message when you've just given a speech?"

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss." Steve sighed to himself and ran a frustrated hand through his hair once more. He felt so drained, so tired, and he wanted this mess to just be over so he could relax. His shoulder felt tense, muscles tight, fatigue draining his energy. He had to keep going, however, for the sake of the team, and possibly the world.

"Yep," Natasha said, popping the p at the end, fingers typing away at the keyboard, only to be rewarded with red words that said, "data deleted," to appear in front of her. "Everything we had on Strucker has been erased."

A file was placed in front of her by Tony. She looked at him and he had a smirk on his face. "Not all of it," he said, walking away from her to allow her to look through the file. She opened the file and handed some of the contents to the team, each looking at individual parts. She nodded her head and was about to speak, but Bruce beat her to it.

"These guys are horrible. Tony, who's this?" He held up a photo of some semi looking old guy with a weird tattoo on his neck.

"I know that guy." He took the photo and started to run his fingers across the keyboard, bringing up information on their mystery man. The computer popped up the name of "Ulysses Klaue," once he was done. "Ah, Ulysses Klaue. He operates off the African coast, black market arms." He heard Steve clear his throat, and he looked back, seeing his boyfriend giving him an accusing stare. He rolled his eyes and said, "there are conventions, alright? You meet people, I didn't sell him anything." The super soldier nodded and let him continue, "he was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very "Ahab.""

"This," Thor pointed at the tattoo on his neck.

"Uh, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it…"

"No, those are tattoos," Thor pointed at his arm, "this is a brand," he pointed back to his neck. Banner took a closer look at the brand, and started to identify what it was with help from the computer.

"It's a word in the African dialect meaning thief, in a much friendly way." He explained.

"What dialect." Questioned Steve.

Banner squinted his eyes to get a better look at the word. "Wakanada? Wa… Wa… Wakanda!"

Tony made an exasperated sound that caused the team to look over at him. He rubbed his hand over his face before placing both his hands on his forehead. Steve walked over to him, placing a hand on his back, rubbing his hand up and down, trying to soothe the genius.

"Tony?"

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods…"

"I thought your father said he got the last of it," Steve raised his eyebrows, not looking away from Tony.

"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?" Asked Bruce.

Steve and Tony looked down at the ground, Steve's trademark Captain America shield, leaning against the wall.

"The rarest metal on earth," the soft reply coming from Tony. "We need to leave, now."

* * *

Things were not going their way at all, everything was progressively getting worse. By the time they got to the Salvage Yard on the African Coast, Ultron and the Maximoff twins had already beaten them there. Ultron had already bought out the heaps of Vibranium that Klause collected, and when Tony asked what the Vibranium was for, he was met with replicas of the Iron Legion that Ultron created, attacking him.

With Tony and Ultron occupied fighting each other, the rest of the Avengers had to deal with the Maximoff twins, and some of Klause's mercenaries. Nothing they couldn't handle properly right?

The problem they encountered was their own minds. Wanda was pulling the strings on the side, using her powers to conjure up images that resided deep within Thor, Steve and Natasha's psyche, into warped scenes.

Thor sees himself at a party, full of Asgardians. He's confused as to what this is, but then suddenly his friend, Heimdall, gatekeeper of the Bifrost Thor uses to travel between worlds, appears. His eyes were… Different than Thor remembers. His once golden eyes, were now a pristine white. He didn't understand why his eyes were different, but Heimdall reassured Thor that he could still see properly; that he could properly see Thor killing all of them.

The image warped itself, and he could hear Asgardians scream in terror. The sound of flames crackled all around him, engulfing statues and people alike into a red inferno.

Natasha was reliving her childhood, watching as she, amongst other girls, were dancing ballet. She remembered the red room, where her assassin training had begun. Her body, pushed beyond limits, trained to be the best of the best, trained to not crack and break, trained to not falter even for a split second. She remembered it all. She remembered how they altered her body so she couldn't have kids, just one less thing they wanted her to worry about. Days and nights were spent in that room, training her to be the best assassin she could be. On graduation, that was when she was pushed beyond her limits. She saw the terrified look on the man's face, her emotionless greyish green eyes, staring back at him, listening to him plead for his life. She lifted the gun, and with no hesitation, she shot him.

Steve was in an old bar back in the forties, and he was confused. He was lost amongst the sea of people, his old army uniform fit snugly around him, his eyes wandering around, watching people he recognized dancing in happiness. This couldn't be real right? He sacrificed his life to save these people, he shouldn't be here. He felt someone tapping his shoulder, and a familiar voice pierced through the crowd, making its way to his ears. He turned around and froze. Standing in front of him, was his best girl, Peggy Carter. She told him about how they won the war, and how they could go home.

The image warped itself at her words, and showed him an empty bar, all except for two people dancing with each other. His breath hitched as he saw himself, dancing with Peggy. Both their bodies close to each other, smiling as they held one another, in a loving embrace. He was supposed to be happy right? This is what he promised her over 70 years ago, this was the life he wanted to live. So why was he unhappy? Why did he feel a lone tear slide down his cheek at the sight. Maybe it was because he missed her dearly, or maybe it's because he wanted to dance with someone else.

'_Tony…'_

Barton was the lucky one to stop Wanda from attempting to control his mind. When she snuck up on him, he took out a shock arrow from his quiver, and placed it on her forehead. It caused her pain and in a few minutes, he found himself on his back. The culprit was none other than her brother, Pietro, coming to her rescue. When he regrouped himself, he tried to find his other teammates.

Tony was busy fighting Ultron, unaware that Banner was being crept upon by Wanda. His mind was being invaded, and the Hulk was soon unleashed. He managed to subdue Ultron, telling him he wasn't going anywhere, but his creation was already one step ahead of him. He was already with the heaps of Vibranium, and Ultron told him he had to worry about Dr. Banner instead of worrying about catching him.

After blasting Ultron into nothing but scrap metal, Tony flew as fast as he could over to the nearest city. He had JARVIS find any and all footage of the Hulk, and felt his breath hitch when he saw Hulk destroying the city, and terrorizing its citizens.

He tried to contact any of his teammates to meet him at his location, but the only response he got was from Clint, telling him the entire team was compromised. With no other choice, he had to call in VERONICA.

The Hulk Buster was made for just an occasion like this, and because of it, Tony was able to subdue Hulk. It did however, come with the cost of the entire world seeing what the Hulk truly was, and tons of collateral damage.

The team now finds themselves back on the Quinjet, unspoken words between them. They were all compromised. Tony looked at each member on the team as he talked to Maria Hill. They were shaken up really badly, none of them wanting to converse with the other. The only person who seemed to come out of this unscathed, was Clint.

Tony went over to Clint's side, sparking a conversation that would hopefully take his mind off the tension in the jet.

"You wanna switch out?" He asked.

"No I'm good, if you wanna take a nap, or whatever you want to do, now is a good time. We're still a few hours out." The blonde Archer said.

"A few hours from where?"

Clint sighed and looked at him, then looked behind him towards the team. "Considering all the shit we've been through today, let's call it a safe house."

* * *

Turns out the words "a safe house," actually meant his family's house. To say the least the team was shocked, all except for Natasha who seemed to fit right at home. It was pretty uncomfortable to find out that one of your teammates was actually a dad, who _actually_ had a girlfriend. Clint saw the gazes they gave him, and explained that this was all Fury's idea. The super spy didn't want to endanger Clint's family, so kept them here so he kept them off of S.H.I.E.L.D. 's files, so no harm would befoul them.

The team had dispersed and went their separate ways. Natasha and Bruce were inside the house, both planning on taking a much needed shower, Clint was with his wife getting cleaned up and talking about how the team is in a pretty bad condition. Thor had told Steve he was going to Asgard to seek out some answers. What those answers were, he didn't bother to tell the blonde as he left. This struck a chord inside Steve. He hated when people kept secrets from him; it frustrated him that Thor wouldn't tell him where he was going, but it absolutely stung knowing that Tony, the one person he could trust, didn't tell him about Ultron.

Steve decided that the best way to take out his frustration, would be to help chop up some wood for Laura Barton. He had hoped he would be alone while doing this, but Tony decided to seek him out. Steve rolled his eyes as he saw Tony come over to him, not breaking his routine of chopping wood, as the genius started to chop wood himself while making small talk.

"Thor didn't say where he was going for answers?"

Steve snorted and shook his head, looking up into Tony's eyes. "Sometimes my teammates don't tell me things. Thought Thor would be the exception." He went back to chopping wood, trying very desperately hard to calm the anger that was nestling in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah, give him time. We don't know what the Maximoff kid showed him."

Steve hummed in response, keeping his gaze on his work. He was hoping Tony wouldn't bring up-

"Seems like you walked away all right." And there it was. He sighed to himself and looked back into the brunette's caramel brown eyes, a forced smile on his face.

"Is that a problem," he cocked an eyebrow, "is it bad that I'm not showing how shaken up I am at what she did to us?"

"No no no, it's that you're trying to hide how shaken up you are. Usually you're an open book; you wear your heart on your sleeve, Steve. I can't get a read on you. What did she show you?"

"Nothing, now just drop it please." He wanted to leave, he didn't want to have this conversation right now. It just made him angrier, knowing that the very depths of his mind has been probed, giving him a false reality that he didn't know how to feel about yet.

"You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart right?"

"Well I'd guess you know," he swung the axe harder into the wood, "whether you tell us is a bit of a question." He was starting to get annoyed, he wanted Tony to stop, but he kept going.

"Why won't you tell me anything?"

"Because it's not important."

"You're hiding something and I know it, so talk!"

He couldn't hold it in anymore, and the next piece of wood he grabbed, was snapped in half with his bare hands. He looked at Tony, anger coursing through him. He stepped forward and grabbed the man by his collar, coming dangerously close to his face as he spoke.

"You wanna know what I'm hiding? Fine, I'll tell you!" He grit his teeth and looked down, trying to calm himself a bit before looking up and talking again. "She showed me a reality that I wanted when I met Peggy. I promised her a dance, and when I crashed the plane those plans were shot down. She showed me a reality that I had always wanted, dancing with my best girl," he let go of Tony's collar, staring in the eyes as he continued, "and ya know what? I _fucking_ hated it." Tony's eyes widened, realizing that Steve just _swore_. Captain America _never_ swore. "I hated it, because I knew it wasn't ever going to happen. There's no way I'd be able to experience that, and you know who I thought about instead? _You!"_ He huffed out a breath of irritation, walking back towards the pile of unchopped wood and sat down. "I wanted to be dancing with you. That's all I could think about. It's crazy to say it, but if you could make me want you more than the first girl I ever loved, then I guess I love you more than I ever did her."

He sighed and gave him a sad smile.

"I love you, Tony. More than you'll ever know." The genius was at a loss for words, his brain not functioning properly after the bombshell Steve just dropped. He knew he should say "I love you, too," but the words weren't making their way past the lump in his throat. Steve sighed again and said, "I just wish you didn't keep this from me."

Before the genius could say anything back, Laura Barton came over to them and asked if Tony could fix their tractor. Tony looked at Steve, bit his lip, and then turned back to Laura and nodded his head.

He sighed to himself when he reached the barn. He felt somewhat guilty for prying into Steve's personal thoughts, but he had the right intentions. He just… Wasn't expecting the man to tell him right then and there that he loved him. He wasn't good with relationships, and it still scared Tony about the idea of loving someone. Of course he loved Steve, he just was scared to love him too much, that if anything happened to him he would be crushed. He didn't want to get hurt, and it was easier to shroud this emotion than let it escape from the vault inside his heart.

As he got closer to the tractor, he noticed a familiar figure in the room that he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Well, nice to see you again _Nick," _he said, calling the super spy by his first name to piss him off.

"Do me a favor. Try _not_ to bring it to life." Fury told him, ignoring the fact that Tony just called him by his first name.

"Maria Hill called you and sent you here didn't she? Was she ever not working for you?"

"Stark," Fury started, looking him directly in the eyes as he spoke, "look me in the eye and tell me you're going to shut him down."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared back. "You're not the director of me."

"I'm not the director of anyone," Fury smiled, "I'm just an old man, who cares very much about you."

"And I'm the man who killed the Avengers." He looked away from the man, focusing his gaze out of the window. He felt a prickling sensation between his eyes, and he sniffled a little bit too. "I'm the man who killed the one person that loves me, more than the first girl he ever loved…" He felt the tears fall down his cheek, and he wiped them away quickly, not wanting the other male to see him like this. "I didn't tell the team, but I told Steve. He told me he'd always be there for me, but how do I know that? For all I'm concerned I killed them in the near future."

"The Maximoff girl, she's working you, Stark. Playing on your fear." Fury explained.

"I wasn't tricked, I was shown," he once again looked at Fury as he spoke, "it wasn't a nightmare, it was my legacy. The end of the path I started us on." He shrugged his shoulders and scoffed, looking away from Fury once more. "You'd think watching them die would be as bad as it gets. Nope. That wasn't the worst part."

"The worst part is that you didn't." Fury proceeded to walk past Tony to make his way outside, but he stopped at the door. Without turning around he said, "come on, I'm sure your team is wondering where you are. It's about time we put an end to this," and then walked back towards the house.

When Tony finally returned inside the house, he was greeted with the sight of his team gathered around the dinner table. There wasn't any food in sight, so he came to the conclusion that this was a debriefing.

"Now that Stark has so graciously graced us with his presence," Fury said, earning a glare from the genius, "we can begin talking about that platinum bastard known as Ultron."

"Steve doesn't like that kinda talk,"Natasha said.

"You know what, Romanoff?" The group chuckled a bit, and Natasha had a teasing smirk plastered on her face.

"Jokes aside, what exactly do we know about Ultron?" Fury questioned.

"He wants to make the Avengers go extinct, and he also wants world peace. It's pretty simple, unless we're missing something?" Steve said.

"You hit the nail on the head, Captain Rogers," Fury sat down next to Natasha before continuing, "intel has told me that your murder robot, has been trying to activate launch codes from nuclear missiles. However, an unknown source has been shutting it down every time, which is why he resorted to Vibranium."

"Who's this unknown source," Tony raised his eyebrows as he asked.

"No idea."

"Well that's just great." Tony huffed out a breath of annoyance, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. Out of the corner of his peripheral he could see Steve standing a few inches away from him. His fingers itched to hold his hand, and he craved to feel the comfort of his blonde super soldier. But he felt as if the tension was too great between them, so he dug the feelings down and decided to keep it strictly business.

"Earth to Stark," he suddenly heard. He was snapped out of his thoughts, shaking his head and looking into the eye of Fury, an unamused expression on his face.

"Huh, sorry what was that? Was too busy daydreaming." He heard Steve snort, and shake his head from the corner of his eye. He smiled a little bit. It made him feel better knowing that despite what happened mere moments ago, there was some level of comfort between them.

"I asked if you knew what Ultron's game plan is. He seems to be all over the globe, and I want to know why?"

Tony tilted his head and thought for a moment. From the first time they faced Ultron he was just a worn out, busted up Iron Legion robot. The second time they faced him, he was a much more highly durable advanced version. Then when Tony confronted him at the shipyard, Ultron had told him that he was already in another place. It finally clicked to him what the robot was doing.

"He keeps making bodies; human bodies to be exact, but we're outmoded, biologically speaking. He needs to evolve. But where would he-"

"I hate to interrupt but," Bruce cut him off, putting together the pieces as well, "if Ultron is going to evolve, has anybody been in contact with Helen Cho?"

The brutal reality bomb had just been dropped on the team, and ask it finally clicked inside their minds. Tony was already trying to race out of the door. Steve had met Tony out in the hallway, stopping him before he could do something drastic.

"Let me go, Steve. I need to get to Seoul and fast," he turned around to Steve as he spoke. "This is all my fault and I need to make it right." He struggled in the vice like grip the Captain had on his arms, not too strong to hurt him, and not too light to let him go. It annoyed him to no end. He needed to stop Ultron before he got his hands on Helen Cho's Cradle technology, and built the perfect body for himself from a machine that could replicate human tissue.

"We can talk about faults later, but right now you need to let me, Clint, and Nat deal with Ultron. You and Bruce should head back to the tower and try to figure out who this unknown source is that has been stopping Ultron." Steve explained.

"God dammit Steve, why can't you let me do the right thing?!"

"Because letting you sit this one out is the right thing!" He looked into the geniuses eyes, pleading with him to understand. "This isn't about making things right, it's about fighting for a cause together. I know you must've had your reasons for not telling me everything, but honey," he placed his hands on Tony's cheeks, "I trust you to figure all of this out and help us. Let me handle the brawns just this once, and you handle the brains."

Tony looked back into Steve's eyes, and he could see the love and care the man held for him. His blue eyes shimmering against the light, his palms warm against his cheeks, and he could see the small quiver of his lip. He knew that there were much bigger things at stake, so he swallowed his pride, leaned up to peck Steve's lips, and nodded shortly after.

"Alright, just this once. When you get the Cradle, destroy it."

Steve nodded his head and leaned down to peck Tony's lips this time. They heard a cough from the doorway of the dining room where they once were, and when they looked they saw Fury, a small smirk on his face.

"If you two are done playing seven minutes in heaven," his smirk grew as he saw Steve blush, "I'll drop Banner off at the tower." He walked over to the entrance of the house and opened the door. Before he left he turned back around and said, "by the way, Stark, I'm going to borrow Ms. Hill for a bit."

"As far as I'm concerned she's all yours. What are you gonna do anyways?" Tony asked.

"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope." He left the house and the two lovers were alone once more.

"I'm sorry for all of-" a finger was placed over his lips, stopping him from continuing.

"We can talk about this later. Right now we need to get going. I'll destroy the Cradle once we get into contact with it, alright?" Tony smiled and nodded his head. "Go put that brain of yours to good use sweetheart." He kissed Tony's forehead, and cheekily slapped his ass before leaving the stunned genius, with a smile on his face, to go with Natasha and Clint to Seoul.

* * *

Tony and Bruce got to work trying to figure out this unknown source, while Steve, Clint, and Natasha made their way to Seoul. Unfortunately by the time they got there Ultron had already taken the Cradle technology from Dr. Helen Cho. What was once supposed to be a mission to destroy whatever was inside the cradle, now became a mission to protect it.

Dr. Helen Cho had informed Steve that the real power was inside the cradle, in the form of a gem from Loki's Scepter. If destroyed, the gem could level the entire city. With that information in mind, Steve had to get the cradle to Tony rather than destroy it like he originally planned.

The task was not easy as Ultron was very persistent in making sure the team stayed out of his way. In a weird turn of events, however, as Steve took the fight with Ultron from the top of the truck where he kept the cradle, to the inside of a train, he had help in the form of the Maximoff twins.

The entire time that Steve was keeping Ultron busy, Natasha had snuck into the truck and secured the Cradle. However, when Ultron left the train, and as she got the cradle onto the private jet Clint was flying, she felt a metal hand grab her ankle, and whisk her off.

Clint was in a state of panic, frantically asking Steve if he had eyes on Nat. The soldier's mind was focused more on the mission, instead of his teammate. They had to get the cradle to Tony so he could find a way to fix all of this. Steve trusted him, and if anybody could do it, it would be Tony. Clint was still trying to find Nat, but he had complied a few moments later and flew back to Avengers Tower.

As Steve was about to relax and talk with Pietro and Wanda, he heard a scream. He looked towards the front of the train and realized the conductor had been taken out, and the train was going off course. With no other option, he turned to Wanda, and asked her if she could stop this. She nodded and a red misty aura flowed through the under part of the train, desperately trying to slow it's momentum. Steve had Pietro use his enhanced speed to secure the lives of pedestrians in the trains path, and with the three of them working together, they succeeded in stopping the train.

"The Cradle, did you get it?" Wanda asked, stepping off the train.

"Stark will take care of it." Reassured Steve.

She shook her head. "No, he won't." She was distraught, as if she knew something that Steve didn't. He looked at her, one brow raised as he started to doubt himself for trusting his other half.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Stark's not crazy." His own voice didn't convey the courage he wanted it to when he said those words. He felt sick to his stomach, but he didn't show it.

She shook her head again. "He will do anything to make things right."

Steve bit his lip and spoke into his communication device. "Stark, come in. Honey?" He sighed to himself, "anyone on comms?"

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?" He felt himself start to panic the more Wanda spoke. He started to doubt himself for putting trust into the other male, and it sickened him the more he thought about it. He needed to get back to the Tower, and fast.

* * *

Tony and Bruce were working on the Cradle shortly after Clint brought it to them. However, something seemed off about the spy when he got there. When Tony asked about it, he simply told them that Ultron took Natasha. The genius stopped his analyses on the Cradle, to see if he could find out where Natasha's location was.

He found absolutely nothing, but he did reassure Clint that she was still alive, otherwise Ultron would be rubbing it in their faces right about now. He also said that maybe she would leave him a message, like a way for spies to communicate to one another if they were captured. Clint nodded his head and let the two scientists get back to work.

When Clint left, Bruce explained to him how he could start on the tissue degeneration, while Tony got to work on frying whatever operational system Cho created. When he looked up, he saw the genius smiling and he knew that this couldn't be good.

"Yeah, about that-"

"No."

"You have to trust me-"

"Kinda don't." Tony rolled his eyes as Bruce kept cutting him off. He grabbed his tablet and walked over to an empty space in front of them.

"Our ally? The guy protecting the military's nuclear codes? I found him." He pulled up a 3D projection of an orange spherical orb that was too familiar for Bruce not to recognize.

"Hello, Dr. Banner." JARVIS said politely.

As Bruce stood there in awe, Tony explained to him how Ultron didn't kill JARVIS, but how the AI went underground for a bit, and when the timing was necessary, put his protocols back together in time to stop Ultron from the inside. Tony then explained to the Dr. how maybe they could create Ultrons perfect body, but use JARVIS instead.

Bruce was skeptical at first, but eventually gave into the geniuses' determination. So, the two got to work. Within a few hours they were able to take JARVIS's algorithms, and place his mind inside of the synthetic body nesting inside the Cradle. All they had to do was let the upload process run for a few minutes and everything would be-

"I'm only gonna say this once." They heard. Steve, as well as the Maximoff twins, came into the lab area where Tony and Bruce were working.

"How about nonce." Tony barked back.

"Shut it down!"

"Nope not gonna happen."

Steve huffed out an irritated breath. "I trusted you, Tony. This is what you do with the trust I gave you!?"

"You put your trust in me and told me to use my brain," he kept his focus on the computer, "and this is how I used it."

"You don't know what you're doing, Tony." He was trying to reason with the genius, he needed to make him understand that tampering with whatever was inside the Cradle was dangerous.

"And you do," Bruce chimed in, "she's not in your head," he pointed at Wanda.

"I know you're angry," she said calmly.

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

Steve could feel the tension rising in the room, and he needed to try and defuse it. "Banner, after everything that's happened…"

"That's nothing compared to what's coming!" Tony yelled from his spot by the computer.

"You don't know what's in there," Wanda shouted, pointing towards the Cradle.

"This isn't a game…" Steve's sentence was cut off as he saw a blur in the lab. The wires connected to the machine were being torn off, and the sound of power loss could be heard. When it finished, Pietro returned to his spot next to his sister, holding up one of the wires he took out a few seconds ago.

"No, no. Go on," he said, dropping the wire, "You were saying?"

The sound of a bullet was heard, and Pietro fell to the bottom floor. The culprit of said action was none other than Clint. As Wanda was about to go after her brother, Bruce came up behind her and held onto her tight. He warned her to try and piss him off, to see what would happen to her.

Just then another sound of broken glass was heard, and the culprit this time was none other than their one and only blonde God of Thunder himself, Thor. He landed on the Cradle, conjuring up lighting into Mjolnir, and struck the machine with the high voltage. It supercharged the upload process, and as he stepped down from the pod, a dark red male sentient being sprung out from inside the Cradle. It surveyed the area in front of it, taking in everyone's faces, and when it stopped on Thor's, it sprung at him.

Thor was quick to fling the being across the room, and before it could crash into the glass windows, it stopped itself mid flight. It gazed upon the illuminated city of New York, fascinated by what it saw.

"I'm sorry that was… Odd." He turned around, materializing clothes around himself and looked at Thor. "Thank you." He said.

"Thor," Steve called, catching the Asgardians attention, "you helped create this?"

"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that," he points to the gem in Visions head. The name they would be calling the creation that, thanks to Thor. "What he holds in his head is called the mind stone. It is one of six infinity stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."

"Then why would you bring it to…"

"Because Stark is right," he cut Steve off, and turned to look at Tony. The rest of the team was shocked at the words that came out of the Asgardians mouth, even Tony was shocked as well. "The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron."

"Not alone." Vision said.

"Why does your "Vision" sound like JARVIS?" Steve asked Tony.

"We reconfigured JARVIS' matrix to create something new."

"I think I've had my fill of new," Steve muttered to himself, "but who do we know you're on our side," he asked Vision.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron?"

"I looked in your head and saw annihilation." Wanda spoke, making her way next to Vision.

"Look again," Vision politely said to her.

"Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me," Clint chimed in. He joined the others in the lab with Pietro in tow. "As touching as this is," he said sarcastically, "Nat sent me an SOS. She's in Sokovia, so when the rest of you are done talking, we got to go. I'll meet you outside." The blonde archer shortly left, leaving the rest of the group in the lab.

"He's right," Vision replied, "we need to get going to stop Ultron. He's waiting for you," he looked at Tony, "he's waiting for all of you. Now I'm not sure what I can do to prove to you that I am on your side," he picked up Thor's hammer and lifted it with ease, holding it out for the Asgadian to reclaim, "but we need to go."

Tony, Steve, and Bruce stood there in a state of shock. They remembered at the party how anybody who Mjolnir deemed worthy would be able to lift it with no problem, and the fact that Vision lifted it with no problem, well, they had no reason as to not believe he wasn't on their side. Thor took back his weapon and Vision walked away. The Asgardian smiled and walked over to Tony and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Well done."

"Three minutes," Steve said to the others, "get what you need." The group dispersed and gathered whatever they needed for the battle ahead. Steve took this time to walk over to Tony who was toying with his Iron Man suit. As he got closer he heard the sound of a female voice coming from the suit, and it piqued his curiosity.

"What, or who, was that?" He asked.

Tony turned around and smiled at Steve before pointing at his suit. "I just installed a new AI into my suit. Her name's FRIDAY."

"Nice to meet you, Captain Rogers," she said with what sounded a little like enthusiasm.

"Right, well, that's not why I came over here," he took a step closer to Tony until he was standing right in front of him. He placed his gloves hands on the geniuses cheeks and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't mean-"

He was cut off by the feeling of soft lips pressing against his. He closed his eyes and kissed back, one hand traveling to Tony's neck, pushing his head forward to deepen the kiss. He felt the genius pull back and he sighed heavily, eyes opening once more to look into his boyfriends.

"I believe someone once told me, "we can talk about faults later." For what it's worth I forgive you, and I hope you can forgive me." He smiled at Steve and the blonde copied him. He pecked his lips one more time and whispered, "I'm sorry if I almost broke your trust, but please believe me that I knew what I was doing this time."

His smile never faded as he looked down at Tony. He nodded his head and chuckled, ruffling Tony's hair a bit and said, "I'll never stop trusting you. You always give me a reason to keep believing in you." He let go of Tony and started to walk towards the Quinjet where Clint was. He turned around and shouted, "I'll see you in Sokovia, don't be late, and I expect a date after this," before turning around and jogging towards the Quinjet.

"Pft, I'm Tony Stark. I'm always fashionably late," he muttered to himself, putting on his suit and flying out of the Tower to go meet Ultron.

* * *

Ultron had tested the strength, and resilience of the Avengers by pushing them as far as he could. When the Quinjet touched ground, Steve, Clint, Wanda, and Pietro worked together to make sure the civilians of Sokovia got to safety. While they were doing that, Tony went to confront Ultron.

That's when things took a turn for the worse.

The Vibranium enhanced machine had used the heaps of Vibranium to build a contraption that would take Sokovia into the air, just high enough that when he pushed the button that unearthed itself in the Church they were in, it could kill either all the people on the floating city, or kill everybody in the world, causing global extinction.

As the city took off into the sky, they were bombarded with a horde of Iron Legionnaires. Tony left the fighting with Ultron to Vision while he had to figure out how to stop the city from killing millions, while Steve and the rest of the Avengers, including Pietro and Wanda, handled the onslaught of Ultron made robots, and saved any and all pedestrians.

The clock was counting down and Tony was getting further and further away from a logical solution. All the info FRIDAY gave him would either result in him and the team dying, or the entire world dying. He was running out of options, but that's all they could come up with right now.

The fighting on top had come to a standstill. It was the calm before the storm, and Steve knew they had to act fast.

"The next wave's gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?" He radioed in Tony from his comm device.

"Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city," he sighed, "that'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear."

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan."

"Babe," he sighed again, frustration starting to set in, "impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice."

Steve bit his lip and stared down from the top of the floating city. He hated their options. Ever since the war he'd always wanted to make sure he could say anybody he could. He never wanted to leave anybody behind if there was something he could do about it. He felt someone stand next to him, and from his peripheral, he saw Natasha.

"Cap, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock…"

"Not 'til everyone's safe." He cut her off.

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there." She stared at him in disbelief for a few minutes, but she came to an understanding of why he thought the way he did. She read the file, all those years ago, and she knew that the man before her would always risk his life to save anybody and everybody he could.

"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."

"I didn't say we should leave." He turned his attention to her and saw the smile on her face. She shrugged and said, "There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

"Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better." A familiar voice rang through their communication device, and then a helicarrier, with Nick Fury on it, appeared before their eyes. It brought a big smile to Steve's face. It was like the answer to their problem was solved, and it came in the form of the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Fury, you son of a bitch." Steve swore.

"Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?" That earned the former Director a chuckle from the super soldier, and shortly after, lifeboats were being deployed.

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Steve turned and saw that Pietro asked the particular question.

He nodded his head and said, "this is what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s supposed to be." That brought a smile to Pietro's face, and Steve motioned his head towards the lifeboats. "Let's load 'em up."

As they ushered the civilians into the lifeboats, a smaller wave of IronLegionnaires had begun to try and take them out, but were effectively thwarted by a familiar suit in the sky.

It was the War Machine.

Rhodey was excited to be able to fly his new and improved suit, and even more excited that he got to help save the world and help his best friend Tony. He kept the Legionnaires away from the lifeboats so Steve and everybody else could get them to safety.

Back at the Church Thor and Vision were busy fighting Ultron. The Vibranium menace seemed to have gotten more pissed off as his plans were being foiled. While those two were busy, Tony had come up with an effective way to neutralize the threat they were in; a heat seal, that way they could destroy the floating rock once everybody was off.

"Thor, I got a plan! I can create a heat seal and supercharge the spire from below!" He told the Asgardian.

"We're out of time. They're coming for the core." Came the reply.

"Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier. Avengers, time to work for a living."

The team headed back towards the Church and held off the new massive horde of Legionnaires. Not a single one had gotten anywhere close to touching the core that would send the city falling. Once that was done, Steve and the rest of his team, minus Wanda, were to leave the Church and make sure everyone was on the boat. Wanda volunteered to stay behind and protect the core. It was her job as a newly admitted Avenger after all. And Natasha went to go calm down the Hulk with her very own special lullaby.

Every citizen was accounted for and got onto the lifeboats, all except for a little boy that caught Clint's eye. He looked at Steve who was directing everybody onto the lifeboats, so he took it upon himself to go and save the kid.

He reached the boy with no obstacles whatsoever, but the sudden sound of a jet coming his way could be heard, followed by bullets. Clint felt his heart drop as he saw Ultron shooting his way. He closed his eyes and held the kid close to him, ready to give up his life, but the bullets never came. When he turned, his eyes widened. Pietro was standing there, covered in fresh, big bullet wounds, and a car was placed in front of Clint. He saw the pained expression of the young enhanced male, but he gave a small smile before he collapsed onto the dirt floor.

Wanda felt her heart shatter. She looked towards the area where everyone was loading the citizens into lifeboats, she saw the bullets impact her brother's body, she saw how he saved Clint and the little boy, and as she saw his body fall to the floor, not getting up, she screamed out in agony. She lost control of her powers, the red misty aura flowed around her and through the city, massacring any remaining robots that Ultron created. Her twin brother died that day giving his life, like a true Avenger. It killed her on the inside, and it felt like her heart was ripped from her chest after it had just been crushed. Her whole world was gone.

There would be a time and a place to mourn Pietro's death, but Clint had to get the kid, and the now dead Avenger, onto the lifeboat. Everybody besides Steve was aboard; even Natasha, who had been graciously brought there by the Hulk, before he went chasing after Ultron in the jet the machine was piloting.

Ultron was thrown off the jet, where he then crashed into a train. Shortly after his crash, he was met face to face with Wanda who was slowly approaching him, a fresh trail of tears staining her cheeks, and a cold gaze lingering in her eyes.

"Wanda, if you stay here, you'll die." Came the weak reply from Ultron.

"I just did," she knelt down next to him, "Do you know how it felt?" A red misty aura shot out from her palm, entering Ultron's chest cavity and ripping out his core. Oil oozed from the object, and she said in a low, deadly whisper, "It felt like that."

Before she, Steve, and Tony knew what was happening, one of the Legionnaires that was thought to be destroyed, pushed down on the core and the city started to fall. Steve's instincts kicked him, and he immediately used his super soldier enhanced legs to jump onto the lifeboat, just barely making it.

Wanda was floating in the train, her mind racing as this is how she thought she was going to die. She felt arms wrap around her, and she saw Vision. She smiled and let him whisk her away back to the lifeboat.

Tony had told Thor the plan, and the two were in position.

"Thor, on my mark." He started to supercharge the bottom of the Vibranium spiral, all the way up to the core as Thor got the biggest lightning blast he could muster into Mjolnir ready. "Now!" Tony told him, and he brought the hammer down onto the core, and in a blinding flash of white, the city exploded.

The day was saved, and the Avengers could finally relax.

* * *

"So what exactly are we doing here?" Steve asked Tony.

"Met our new home," the genius shrugged, "thought we could remodel. Like I said, the towers nice and all, but I could use something new." He walked towards the front door of the New Avengers Facility, in upstate New York. It was an old building that Tony's father used back in the day, and he figured that he might as well turn it into a new secluded homing base for the team. As he stopped at the door, he turned to Steve and smiled.

"Well this is your stop." He said.

"You're not coming inside?" Steve asked, his left eyebrow raised.

"I have to go back to the tower and work on some stuff for SI. Then I gotta try and ship over the rest of everybodies stuff when I can." He leaned up and placed a small kiss on Steve's lips, pulling back a few seconds later to see that adorable smile on his super soldier's face. "I also gotta look into some stuff. There's a new superhero in Queen's and he calls himself Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man?"

"Yeah. He wears a red and blue onesie and swings from building to building. He's not a big superhero, more like a… Friendly neighborhood kinda guy."

"And you want to make him an Avenger," Steve raised his eyebrow.

"No," Tony sounded exasperated, "kids way too young. He's sixteen, Steven. At the most I want to get him to come up to the compound, meet the team if applicable,and put in some training. Gotta work out the kinks but, I'll see what I can do." Tony checked his watch and started to walk away from Steve. "I gotta get going, I'm already seven minutes late."

"What about our date?!" Steve yelled.

"Fine, I'll leave everything up to Pepper, finish the Spider-Man thing as fast as possible, and I'll pick you up later today when I'm done! I'll call you!" Tony yelled back.

Steve chuckled to himself and watched the man enter his car, revving the engine a bit.

"I love you!" He shouted. Tony waved his hand and then kissed his palm, sending his love to Steve as he drove off.

"Now that you guys are done gazing into each other's eyes," he heard a familiar red headed spy say, "we got some new recruits that need some training."

He turned around and walked past Natasha, a smile evident on her face and they walked into their new home. When Steve got to the garage where the Quinjets were located, he saw four familiar faces. Wanda, Sam, Rhodey and Vision, all standing at attention and looking at him. He smiled at them, knowing he had his work cut out for him.

"Let's beat em into shape," Natasha whispered.

He smiled and took one last look at the new recruits that he would soon call his teammates. He felt proud to be this team's Captain, and he knew that if he ever needed help, there would always be a certain brunette he could turn to, to always remind him why he was strong enough to lead The Avengers.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**And that is that, hopefully you guys got to the end and bared through my journey up until this point. This is my first ever story and in no means is it perfect, but I hope you guys like it. **

**As usual, I accept any and all constructive criticism and positive feedback. If you want to, please leave a review. Tell me what you think, or pm me and tell me what you think as well. I hope you are all happy, healthy and staying safe. Much love me from me guys, the end is soonish. Till next time!**

**Bai!**


	11. Chapter Ten: Separate We Fall Part 1

**Author's Note:**

**I would like to just say, I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out to everyone. I have been getting consistently sick, and sometimes it affected me being able to write and edit these chapters. I also am stressed out with online classes, but that is the least of my worries.**

**On other notes, I would like to say thank you for being as patient as possible, and thank you for 905 views, it means a lot to me really. On another note, this is by far the longest chapter I have written so far. Civil war was always going to be my longest chapter, but I felt I had to break it into two parts because it was just a lot to take in.**

**Usual disclaimers, I do not own any of the quotes/dialogue, as well as the characters, all of that is rightfully owned by Marvel. I would also like to point out that there is an intimate moment between Tony and Steve in this chapter, I am warning you in case you don't want to read it. **

**Without further delay, happy reading!**

* * *

When Tony returned to the now sold Avengers Tower, he spent his time working on another Iron Man suit. He also took the time to work on a new invention that SI had asked for, and he came up with the idea for the B.A.R.F. glasses; known as the Binary Augmented Retro-Framing glasses. It taps into the subjects hippocampus and creates an image from a tragic moment, and would alter that image in any way they chose. He smiled to himself and put those on the side, going back to finishing up the final touches for the Mark forty six.

When he was finished and happily content with his newest creation, he smiled to himself once more. When Tony had dabbled with the Ultron protocol, he had thought about the advanced technology that was behind it. He felt it was a long shot, but with how his life was like now, he could use an upgrade.

With the suit assembled, Tony configured FRIDAY into his fancy Rolex watch to scan over the right gauntlet. It was a test run, in a way, but in order for Tony to be useful in dangerous situations when he didn't have his suit, what better way to do that then to have a piece of the suit scanned and rendered, and when Tony so happened to be needed in a dire situation, he could twist the top half of the watch, and thin layers of wires and steel would spring forth and he would attach them onto his knuckles, causing the gauntlet to materialize. It was a lot of work, and quite the effort in terms of nanotechnology, but he was proud of himself nonetheless.

"Why Mr. Stark," he heard a voice say, "just when I thought you broke this nervous habit of yours, I see you tinkering away once again." He turned around and smiled upon seeing Pepper.

"Why Ms. Potts," he said walking over to her, "dare might I ask what brings you to my evil lair?" She rolled her eyes as he faked an evil laugh. Her gaze settled on him, and she smiled. It's been awhile since she's seen Tony, and after all the stuff he's gotten himself into, well, it's nice to see him alive.

"I came over to say hi, and to ask you if you finished any new project for SI?"

"Always one to get straight to business. See, that's why I made you CEO of my company." She chuckled softly at his remark. "Anyways, I think you might like what I have in store." He reached over to grab the B.A.R.F. glasses next to his suit and put them on. He saw the look she gave him; that same look he knew all too well when she was just a little bit done with him fucking around, and so he started to try and explain himself. "I know what you're gonna say-"

"Glasses? Really, Tony?"

"First off, they're not glasses," he averted his eyes from her and thought for a moment, "ok they're glasses but hear me out." He stood next to her and turned, staring at the few feet of blank space in front of them. The area around them began to shift, and turned into a sea of white. An assortment of colors started to flow in shortly after; red's and greys, black and blue, and then the three faintest images of two adults and one teenager materialized.

"Tony what is this?" Pepper asked shocked.

"I call them the Binary Augmented Retro-Framing glasses."

He stopped when he heard her chuckle, letting out a sigh and shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, but… B.A.R.F glasses?"

"Yea, yea laugh it up! Now pay attention cause this is where the real stuff kicks in."

The image in front of them started playing, and as Pepper studied the scene playing out in front of her more, she realized the teenager on the couch was a young Tony Stark, the scene in the background was Christmas Morning with his parents Maria and Howard Stark. She watched as Howard walked into the room while Maria was playing piano, and he immediately started bickering with Tony, making slight snide comments about how he was just loafing around on the couch. The genius was adamant to fight back with his dad and distance himself away from him, but Maria was trying to withhold the peace between them. She told Howard how exhausted Tony was from studying super hard in college, and she told Tony that his dad wanted the best from him and he loved him. She reassured him that if he didn't say anything now, he would regret it later. She watched as the words sunk into young Tony's mind, and when he looked back at his dad, he told him he loved him. The image started to fade, and she heard the grown adult version of Tony next to her, sigh heavily.

"The glasses conjure up an image from any point in your life where a tragic event occured, and it gives you the chance to alter it by tapping into your hippocampus. That's not exactly how that day went, but sometimes you can dream." He took off the glasses and handed them to her. She took them without any questions as he walked back over to his suit. "Ya know I always loved my mom, she was the best," he said while having his watch replicate his gauntlet, "it's a shame she died in that car crash."

"Oh, Tony. I'm so sorry." She said sadly.

"Oh well, what can you do," he shrugged his shoulders and stepped away from his suit, "now if you'll excuse me I have some important business to attend to." He stepped away from her and headed in the direction of the elevator. As the doors dinged open, he turned around to face her once more. "Oh, hey Pepper?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"I'm assuming Happy drove you over here, tell him I said hi, and that I need him at the Tower to pack up the rest of the Avengers things. I'd do it myself, but that's his job not mine." The doors closed and the last thing he saw was Pepper rolling her eyes, before making his way to the garage and driving off to Queens.

* * *

When he arrived at the apartment in Queen's, he really didn't know what to expect. It was a quiet neighborhood, pretty nice place to live, but he didn't know who'd he'd expect to be answering the door. As he rang the doorbell, footsteps could be heard, followed by a female voice shouting out her presence. He waited patiently and he soon heard the doorknob twist before it was pulled fully open.

"How may I help- Tony Stark?" The female asked. He looked and saw a woman presumably in her 30 or 40's, but if he was honest with himself, she looked more like she was in her 20's, and she was also _very_ attractive. "What are you doing here?" He shook his head and came back to reality, coughing a bit before answering.

"I came here to see Peter Parker? Are you his mother?" He asked.

"No I'm his aunt, May Parker. If I may ask, did Peter do something?" She cocked an eyebrow, looking at him with vast confusion on her face. He understood why. It wasn't everyday Tony Stark came ringing your doorbell and suddenly asking to see your nephew, but he wouldn't dwell on the situation at hand. He was strictly here for business.

"Yes he did do something, Ms. Parker," as she opened her mouth to speak he continued, "but it's not something bad." She relaxed a little bit, and he continued, "I wanted to speak to him about an internship he applied for at Stark Industries."

"Peter didn't tell me anything about applying for an internship at Stark Industries?" She sounded confused, questioning, even. She raised her eyebrows again and he just smiled at her.

"I would assume he'd be scared to tell you if he didn't get it. I can assure you that since I am here, he has indeed qualified for the internship," he paused and thought for a moment, "I would also like to say that you've done a fine job of raising him Ms. Parker. He's a smart kid, and I'm glad he had a smart woman to help him."

She smiled and shook her head, looking a little embarrassed. "Wanna come in? Peter will be home from school soon." She said.

"I would love to come into your wonderful home, thank you." She moved to the side, allowing him to step through the door. He looked around the apartment and noted that it was pretty small, but not that bad looking. He shrugged his shoulders and ventured off into the living room directly around the corner from the stairs, and sat down on the couch.

"Would you like something to eat, Mr. Stark?" May asked.

"That would be lovely, Ms. Parker, thank you."

"Please, you can call me May. Ms. Parker makes me sound old."

"Well," he smiled at her, "I can assure you that you're very young and beautiful." She smiled again and headed towards the kitchen to prepare some food. Tony sat there and looked at his watch. School should have gotten out by now, and after this was done, his date with Steve would start soon after. He relaxed onto the couch, one leg over the other, waiting patiently for Peter to return home from school.

* * *

Peter Parker was your everyday typical teenage boy going through high school. Well, mostly normal, disregarding the fact that he was actually an enhanced teenage boy. When he was first bitten by the radioactive spider, he suffered from a high fever, his eyes were super sensitive to light, and his hearing skyrocketed that even the slightest squeaking sound gave him a headache. As the effects died down, he discovered the rest of his powers. He could climb on walls, and he had super strength. The only thing he added to his plethora of abilities to finish off the theme of Spider-Man, was making the webbing.

He took a chemistry class where it practically taught him that mixing certain chemicals together could cause a change reaction to occur, and with enough experimentation, he made a super adhesive webbing that fit perfectly with the theme of his superhero name.

He managed to keep his identity a secret from not only his Aunt May, and the entire school, but also his best friend Ned. As close as he was to the other teenage boy, he was a huge blabbermouth, but that didn't stop them from hanging out.

When Peter wasn't in school, decathlon practice, or building legos with Ned later in the day, he was busy being Queen's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He didn't have much trouble since the tasks were very mundane; he helped old ladies cross the street, grabbed cat's down from trees, and if he was lucky, stopped bike robberies. Everyday after school when he could, he'd always change into his red and blue outfit, and take to the streets to keep the city just a little more peaceful.

When Peter returned home from school that day, he took the usual route towards him home. When he got to the apartment, he took note of the unusual new car parked in front of the building. He shook his head and trekked up the steps, twisting the doorknob and entering the apartment.

"May I'm home!" He yelled making his way up the stairs and to his room.

"Peter come here! There's someone you should meet!" She yelled back.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he got to his room.

'_Who's downstairs with Aunt May?'_ Peter thought.

He put his bag and suit away before making his way down the stairs to the living room. He rounded the corner and said, "who are you talking about Aunt M-," he stopped mid sentence. His eyes widened and he started to panic a bit. He felt this wave of nervousness crawling across his skin as he stared back at his inspiration. "M-Mr. Stark I uhm… It's nice to… Uhm… W-what are you doing here?" He stuttered.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Parker," he smiled, "I was just talking to you beautiful Aunt about how you qualified for the Stark Industries internship."

"Oh stop," she swatted his arm playfully, "anyways, Peter, how come you never told me about this internship?"

"Why, I just, I just . . . I just know how much you love surprises, so I thought I would let you know…," he trailed off, thinking for a moment and then continuing, "I also uhm… Never actually uh… Thought I'd get accepted."

"Can I have 5 minutes with him?" Tony asked May.

"Sure."

He smiled and put his arm around Peter's shoulder, taking him away from the living, and up to the stairs to his room. Once they opened the door and reached his room, the door was promptly shut, and Tony took the time to go searching around his room. Peter raises his eyebrows in confusion.

"Uhm… Mr. Stark, what are you doing?" Tony stops abruptly when he hears the kid call his name. He looked at Peter, one eyebrow raised at him, arms crossed as he stood there, waiting for an explanation. Tony smiled and reached into his pocket to pull out his Stark phone. He shifted through some media outlets and pulled up a video of Spider-Man.

Peter stared at the screen, not sure what to say as he watched himself swing from building to building.

"That's you right?" Tony asked.

He snapped back into reality and shook his head, staring at Tony with both eyebrows raised this time. "Um, no. What do you… What do you mean?" He was slowly starting to lose function of his voice, scared about someone like Tony to find out about his powers and his secret identity. He feared with his age, Tony would go straight downstairs and tell his Aunt about all this.

"Yeah. Look at you go. Wow!"

"That's all… That's all on YouTube, though, right? I mean, that's where you found that? Because you know that's all fake. It's all done on the computer." He lied.

"Yes, I'm sure _that's_ what this is." Tony squinted his eyes and looked towards the closet, noticing something off about it. "What do we have here?" He walked over to an awkwardly placed broom in the corner and shifted it slightly. He heard a creaking sound of a door opening, and when he turned back, he saw that part of the ceiling was open, revealing a red and blue onesie that dropped out.

Pepper caught the fabrics as they cascaded from its hiding spot, running over to Tony and shifting the broom the other way, and stuffing his makeshift suit somewhere in the closet. He turned back and saw the smug look on the geniuses face, and he felt his own face start to heat up slightly from embarrassment.

"Uh… That's a…" He couldn't find the words to explain himself. "Please don't tell Aunt May," he suddenly said catching Tony off guard, "if she finds out she'll freak and… And I don't need her to worry more than she already does and if she freaks out then I freak out and-

"Ok, ok, breathe kid," he placed his arm on Peter's shoulder stopping his rambling, "I'm not gonna tell your Aunt, so you can relax." He saw the teen let out a sigh of relief and visibly relax just a little. He ushered them towards the bed, taking a seat at the edge as he looked at Peter.

"Does anybody else know?" Peter shook his head, not willing to meet Tony's gaze. "You're in dire need of an upgrade. Systemic, top to bottom. 100-point restoration. That's why I'm here." He saw the corner of Peter's mouth curve upwards a little bit, but he noticed the way he twiddled with his fingers. "Why you doing this? I gotta know. What's your MO? What gets you outta that twin bed in the morning?"

"Because . . .," he said softly, continuing to twiddle his fingers, "because I've been me my whole life, and I've had these powers for 6 months." He looked up a bit into the geniuses' gaze before continuing. "I read books, I build computers . . . and- and yeah. I would love to play football. But I couldn't then so I shouldn't now-"

"Sure, because you're different."

"Exactly," he sighed and looked down again, "but I can't tell anybody that, so I'm not. When you can do the things that I can, but you don't . . ." He could feel Tony lean in closer, comforting him a bit as he could feel a whirling pool of sadness well up inside his chest. "and then the bad things happen . . . they happen because of you." He couldn't hold it in, and the prickling sensation behind his eyes continued to grow, until he felt two tear droplets, cascade down his cheek and drip off his chin. He whipped the trail away, but more followed suit.

Tony rubbed Peter's arm, trying to calm the spider teen down. He wasn't sobbing at all, but he was sniffling. He felt Peter rest his head on his shoulder, and he smiled a bit. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly. "I won't force you if you don't want to."

"No. No it's ok, I don't mind it's just…" He sniffled again and bit his lip, memories resurfacing. "When my parents died, Aunt May and Uncle Ben took me in. I was always loved, had food on my plate, and slowly Aunt May became like my mom, and Uncle Ben became my dad." He let out a shaky breath as he continued. "Uncle Ben was actually the only person who knew of my identity, Mr. Stark, but he didn't tell anybody, not even Aunt May. One day there was a burglar that came into our house and if…," he bit his lip once more, trying to stop the sob from coming out, "if I was more responsible with my powers, I could've saved him, Mr. Stark. I could've stopped the burglar from shooting Ben."

Tony didn't say a word as he kept rubbing the teens arm up and down, trying to help alleviate the sadness and guilt that was eating away at him. He felt a small tinge of empathy for the kid; he believed nobody should go through that, and it was sad to know Peter now only had his Aunt in his life. If she went… Then what would happen?

"Before he died he said to me, "with great power comes great responsibility," and ever since then I've been using my powers to help people in Queen's." He smiled towards the end, and calmed down a bit.

"You've got a lot on your plate kid, and I respect that," he patted Peter's shoulder, "which is why I want you to come up to the compound after school every Friday, and stay till Sunday." He smiled at Peter's shocked face.

"Are you serious, Mr. Stark!?" He asked excitedly.

Tony nodded his head and got off the bed, checking his watch. "I'm very serious. As much as I would like to stay I got a date I need to attend, and I'll be sure to get started on your suit when I can."

"Thank you so much, Mr Stark. Oh, and I just wanted to say that you and Captain Rogers look pretty cool together." Tony raised an eyebrow at this bit of information.

"How'd you know I was dating Steve?"

"Oh, it's all over Twitter." Peter pulled out his phone and opened the social media app. Tony looked at the phone, and noticed how the photos that surfaced were taken in familiar locations. The battle of New York when Steve hugged him, their date at the semi-fancy restaurant, and the two of them holding hands as they walked back to the tower. Tony groaned and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Welp, so much for keeping a low profile." He muttered.

"I think it's cool."

He smiled and ruffled Peter's hair. "Thanks kid, now I'll see you later this week alright?" Peter nodded his head and exited his room. He trekked down the stairs and before he left, he thanked May for allowing him into her house, and told her the details of the internship. She agreed to letting Peter come over Friday after school, and staying till Sunday. With that, he left the residence, pulled out his phone once more, dialed Steve's number, and got into the car.

"Hi, Tony." The familiar voice came.

"Hey, babe. Just finished talking to Spider-Man, I'm on my way to come pick you up at the tower." He said.

"Oh, no need to pick me up at the tower. I'm at the Smithsonian Museum right now." Tony raised an eyebrow at the phone as he took it away from his ear, wondering why Steve was at a Museum of all places.

"The fuck are you doing at a Museum?" He could almost feel the eye roll coming from the blonde.

"Language," Tony rolled his eyes, "and I just wanted to see something. I have something to give you when we meet."

"What did you get me? A fossil, cause' I've always wanted one of those and-"

"No, I didn't get you that," Steve chuckled, "where do you want to meet?"

"You feel like eating Shawarma? Or how about Ice cream? I know a shop nearby that's close to the old folks home if you wanna see Peggy after." He suggested.

"I'd like that. See you in a few minutes?"

"I'll stop by the Museum. See you in a few babe." He made a kissing sound into the phone, and it brought out a cute laugh from his super soldier boyfriend.

"I love you." Came the soft reply. Tony bit his lip to keep the words from automatically slipping past his lips, and instead he responded with,

"Of course you do, that's what's cute about you." He hung up the phone and let out an exasperated groan. He started up his car, and as he made his way towards the Smithsonian, he couldn't keep his mind off of what Steve could have possibly gotten him as a gift.

* * *

Tony picked Steve up from the Smithsonian, and from there he drove them to an empty space near the old folks home to grab ice cream. Tony ordered two ice cream cones for them, his being Vanilla with red, white, and blue sprinkles, and Steve had also gotten vanilla, but with red and gold sprinkles. The two walked hand in hand, enjoying their ice cream and conversing on their way to see Peggy, much to Steve's pleasure.

"So, how'd things go with Spider-Man?" Steve asked.

"Oh it went well, but kids gotta lot of baggage he's holding in," Tony sighed, "it was hard to sit there and listen-"

"Wait, you sat there and _listened?_ Without making his story revolve back to you?"

"Ok listen here, Captain Sassypants," Tony stopped walking to look at a laughing Steve Rogers, "I'll have you know not _everything_ has to be about me. I mean, it should, but come on it'd be heartless of me not to listen to the kid who has a traumatic past."

"I know, I'm sorry. Forgive me?" He looked at Tony with a puppy dog look in his eyes, lip pouted, and a little speck of vanilla ice cream staining his bottom lip. He leaned up and pecked him, tongue swiping across Steve's bottom to lip. He pulled back and smiled at the blushing face of the super soldier.

"I forgive you, but sass me again and you're sleeping on the couch."

"You'd miss me too much," he playfully pushed Tony, earning a giggle from the genius.

"Yea I would." They resumed their walking, Tony swinging their hands from side to side and stealing glances at Steve whenever he could. His breath hitched when he looked at the Captain eating his ice cream. His tongue licked and lapped up and down at an enjoyingly slow pace, as if he was savoring the task at hand. Tony bit his lip, trying to shake the dirty images out of his brain so that the tightening feeling in his pants would subside. It was hard to avert his gaze away from the blonde, who happily continued enjoying his ice cream, not knowing what effect he was having on the brunette. Tony willed himself to look away, and noticed they were finally at their destination.

They finished their ice cream, and luckily for Tony his arousal disappeared. They went towards the front of the desk and asked the nice lady behind the counter if it was ok to go and see Peggy. She nodded her head, but informed them that someone else was in there so if they wanted to wait they could, or they could go inside and share the space.

Steve and Tony decided that they wouldn't mind entering the room and waiting for their turn, so that's what they did. Upon advancing close to the room Peggy was in, a blonde female in a black jacket and skirt, with matching black high heels walked out.

"Good afternoon, ma'am." Steve politely said.

"Hello there, Captain Rogers," she said looking at him before turning to the brunette, "and hello to you too, Tony."

"How do you-"

"Nice to see you again, Sharon." Tony interrupted. He let go of Steve's hand, walking over to Sharon and giving her a hug.

Steve was visibly confused. Tony pulled back from the hug and turned to look at the super soldier, laughing for a few seconds before enlightening him on the situation.

"Steve, this is my cousin, Sharon Carter. Niece of Peggy Carter," he introduced, "we met back in the day when Peggy would come over to my parent's house, and we've been pretty close since then," he turned to look at Sharon, "but I haven't seen you in awhile. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, just stopping by to visit Aunt Peggy. I've also been working with the few non Hydra agents left of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's a lot of work, but I think Fury's enjoying the loyalty we few agents are providing now."

"Fury was always a sucker for loyalty," he laughed and turned to Steve, "as confusing as this is, I'll fill you in sometime in the future, maybe. For now let's go visit your best girl."

Steve blushed upon being reminded of his past love for Peggy, but nodded his head. Sharon had said her goodbyes, and they parted ways. The two males entered the room and saw Peggy, comfortably relaxing in her bed, hands folded over the other, head resting gently on the pillow with her eyes closed.

"Peggy," Steve whispered as he got closer to her, "it's Steve, I'm back and I've brought someone with me." Her eyes fluttered open, and a smile graced her lips as she looked into his baby blue eyes.

"It's nice to see you again, Steven," she placed her hand on his cheek, effectively making him smile, "did you bring Natasha again?"

"No, Peggy, I brought someone you might know." He looked over at Tony who stood there with his arms crossed, but a smile on his face.

"Hi, Aunt Peggy," he walked over to them and sat down next to Steve, "I'm happy to see you again." She gasped lightly and reached out to place her hand on Tony's cheek. He smiled more and relaxed into her soft gentle touch.

"Oh my little Anthony, it's been far too long." She said softly.

"I'm glad to see you're ok."

"As ok as I'll be, my dear." She laughed a bit, but started coughing. Steve took the liberty to get up abruptly, locating a glass of water on a desk a few inches from their location. He grabbed the glass and walked back over to Peggy, holding the glass a few inches from her lips and helping her to slowly sip the refreshing liquid, effectively calming down her coughing fit.

"Thank you dear," she said looking at Steve, "what brings you and Anthony here today?"

"I wanted to come see you, Peggy. I wanted to tell you a few things."

"What is it deary?"

He looked at her, then looked at Tony. He smiled at the genius, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together. "I found someone to be happy with, Peggy. That person is Tony." He saw the geniuses smile widen, a small blush forming on his face a little bit too.

"Oh, Steve that's so wonderful," she placed her hand on theirs, "please take care of him Anthony, he used to get into so much trouble back in the day."

"Yeah, well, now he's dating someone who gets into more trouble than him."

"That's what I'm worried about," she laughed softly, "but I suppose if you're both getting into trouble, then you'll get to look out for each other."

"There was also one more thing I wanted to do, to show you, and Tony, how much he means to me." He fished a hand into his pocket, and pulled out a dog tag, holding it in his hand for Tony to look at.

"What's this and where did you get it?" Tony asked.

"Remember when I went to the Smithsonian," he watched Tony nod before continuing, "well I saw the Captain America exhibit, and then I came across these," he held up the dog tags, "they're dog tags, they have my name on them and everything. So, I was thinking to myself that I wanted to give you something. It occured to me that with you being a billionaire," Tony snorted, "what could I possibly give you that you already didn't own? I saw the dog tags and thought "I don't think he would have these," so I took them."

"Do my ears deceive me," Tony held a hand to his chest, "Peggy, did you just hear that? Captain America just _stole_ from a museum." Peggy chuckled softly at his response, smiling at Steve.

"As I was saying," he looked at Tony, "I took them because I wanted you to always feel that no matter where I go I'm always with you. What better way to do that than to give you a piece of my past in front of my best girl, so that way someone other than Nat knows I'm serious about us." He put the dog tag around Tony's neck, and the metal part rested close to Tony's Arc Reactor. He felt a surge of electricity go through him; not because the metal was close to the contraption keeping him alive, but because of the display of love. He turned and looked into his baby blue eyes before leaning in slowly, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"It's perfect," he whispered, "although I think it's safe to say that you're the biggest sap I know."

"Oh, I can agree to that." Peggy chimed in. Steve blushed a little bit, but smiled and laughed through the embarrassment. "I think it's sweet, and as much as I would love for you both to stay, it's time for my regularly scheduled nap."

They said their goodbyes, and as they walked hand and hand out of the building, Tony couldn't stop looking at Steve's dog tag. It truly touched him that Steve gave him something of sentimental value. It also sucked to know that Tony didn't have anything to give back to him, or never truly thought of what to get Steve. He bit his lips as the insecurities took over, mind circling with doubt.

"What happens if I die?" He asked abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Steve stopped in his tracks outside of the building to look at Tony, one eyebrow raised.

"I mean," he sighed, "what happens to your bodyguard job. You were assigned to be my bodyguard, and if I die then what? Jobs done right?" He looked at Steve, noticing the way his lips curved downwards into a frown, and how his lip juts out slightly into a pout.

"Tony what-"

"Just answer the question, Steve."

"Yes, my job would be over. But I was tasked to protect you, and I told you I would try not to let anything hurt you. I live by that, Tony." He felt Steve stand in front of him, looking down on him. Tony averted his eyes to look anywhere other than the baby blues that were staring at him. "Where is this coming from?"

"It's just that…" He shrugged his shoulders, rolled his eyes, and groaned loudly. "It's just that you say "I love you" whenever you get the chance, and I never say it back. You gave me an amazing gift, and I never gave you anything in return. I feel like this could be the whole bodyguard thing working me up, and when I least expect it, Fury will see I'm perfectly safe, and take you away." He huffed out a breath of irritation, crossing his arms and shrugging his shoulders again.

"I promise you, Tony, even if Fury called to take me away I wouldn't let him," he pulled Tony flush against his chest, "if you died, I don't care about the job at all, I'd mourn you everyday for the rest of my life, wishing I could take your place, or get you back. I know you love me even if you don't say it, or don't give me anything. You don't have to do something big for me to know how much you care about me." He placed a gentle kiss on his forehead that effectively caused the brunette to look up, taking in the soft smile of the super soldier. "I love you, Anthony Edward Stark, till the end of the line."

"God you are too good for me…" He muttered. He shivered when Steve ran his hand through his hair. He laid his head on the other's chest, listening to the soothing sound of his lover's heart. He enjoyed moments like this with Steve, he just hated when they were ruined.

"Hey fellas," he groaned at the voice he knew all too well, "either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

"Do you just wait for us to have a moment before you ruin it? Or do you have a personal vendetta against me?" Tony complained.

"Contrary to popular belief, no, I don't have anything against you. It's just missions pop up unexpectedly and we have a job to do." Natasha smiled, her arms crossed and looking at both of them.

"What's the issue Nat?" Asked Steve.

"Rumlow was spotted in Lagos, Nigeria. Mission details say they're after something, but I'm not sure exactly what."

"I thought he died when one of the helicarriers crashed into the Triskelion?"

"I thought so too," she smirked, "but the damn bastard is too stubborn to die."

"I swear, after this we're taking a vacation so I can have alone time with you and-" suddenly Tony's phone rings, interrupting him. He fishes for it out of his pocket, notices the caller ID says "Pepper," and holds it up to his ear as he answers it.

"Yeah. What do you want?" Natasha and Steve study him curiously as he speaks. "Do they seriously need me!? Can you tell them I'm on a date!" His voice started to rise in octave, indicating that he was visibly getting angry. "Oh for heaven's sake, Pepper," he runs a hand up and down his face before sighing, "fine I'll be there soon. One day I'm going to take a vacation and those assholes are gonna leave me alone." He hung up the phone and looked at the two individuals' curious gazes. "I need to go to an SI meeting. Apparently they think my B.A.R.F. glasses are a joke, and I need to prove them wrong."

"Alright, I'll let you know how the mission goes. See you soon, at least?" Steve asked.

"Yup," Tony pecked Steve's lips, "don't get blown up, and come back home safely. Also do me a favor and punch this Rumlow guy for me, he's ruining my Captain America time." He walked away from the two, and before he was gone he turned around and yelled, "I don't care which one of you does it, just make sure it happens!"

Steve shook his head and took his spot next to Natasha.

"So, Lagos. Sounds lovely, think we should bring in the new recruits?"

"Wanda and Sam are ready and waiting, we're off when you give the orders, Cap."

"Well," he started to walk, "let's get this over with shall we?"

* * *

The mission was basically simple; stop Brock Rumlow from stealing whatever he set his eyes on with minimal casualties. Wanda and Natasha were in charge of recon, gaining intel and pinpointing locations. Steve would be ready to spring into action once Natasha and Wanda relayed any dangerous activity to him. Sam would be their eyes in the sky, using the redwings drone to spy any suspicious activity. Somewhat lucky for them, Steve was the first to spot the mysterious garbage truck barrelling through the walkway of the Lagos market, completely disregarding pedestrians. He told Sam to use his drone to give them an X-ray of the truck. He told them that it's heavily armed, most likely being used as a battering ram. The drone continued it's flight, following the truck to its destination; the Institute For Infectious Diseases.

They sprung into action soon after the truck crashed through the closed gates. Seven hostile Hydra soldiers made their way into the institute. Four more of them shot gas canisters into the building, flooding it with noxious fumes. As Sam had effectively taken out three Hydra soldiers trying to scale the building towards the roof, the remainder was left for Steve to deal with inside the institute. With Wanda's help getting him inside and clearing out most of the gas so he could breathe, he took out whatever soldiers stood in his way, and followed Rumlows trail. He came to a halt and noticed a missing vial out of the corner of his eye. He radioed his team, informing them that Rumlow had a biological weapon, and they should be careful.

The fighting found its way outside once more, Natasha getting involved as she fought through some of the backup Hydra soldiers stationed near the Institute. She took out the large majority, but found herself being pulled by her collar onto the top of a car by Rumlow. She fought back, trying to zap his neck with her widow bites, but it had no effect. He then threw her into the hatch on top of the car, pulled the pin of a grenade, threw it inside of the car, and closed the hatch. The grenade exploded, unhinging the doors to the car as Natasha and a limp Hydra soldier fell out. Natasha was very much alive, thanks to the now dead soldier she used as a meat shield.

Sam told the rest of them that four soldiers had split off from the group. Steve would take care of Rumlow, while Natasha would take the two going on to the left, Sam took the two going to the right, and Wanda made sure all the miasma was gone from the building.

By the time Steve caught up with Rumlow and engaged into hand to hand combat, Natasha had successfully secured the biological weapon with the help of Sam. As Rumlow and Steve traded punch for punch, the Hydra soldier was no match for the brute strength of Captain America. Steve had managed to subdue Rumlow, but things took a turn for the worse.

All it took was Bucky's name out of Rumlows mouth to shatter Steve's focus. The Hydra soldier activated his vest which was littered with bombs. Steve's eyes grew wide as he saw a mixture of orange hues forming into a massive explosion that would take him out right where he stood. The impact never came, however. As he looked back, a red misty aura was trying to contain the blast. He saw Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, with a pained expression on her face as she controlled her powers to keep the impact from hitting Steve. It was too much for her however, and she needed to let go of the excess force. She threw Rumlow into the air, but at the cost of the explosion blossoming into the side of an office building.

Steve looked up, his eyes wide once more as he saw the side of the building crumbling away. Wanda looked on in horror, covering her mouth as her eyes too, were wide with horror. People ran out of the building, and it dawned on him that they caused major damage not only to the building, but to potential families as well.

"Sam…," he said softly into the comm device in his ear, "We need Fire and Rescue… On the south side of the building," he swallowed the lump in his throat, praying that people were still alive. "We gotta get up there."

Tony had just finished his presentation of the B.A.R.F. glasses, feeling exceptionally confident in himself. It still made him uncomfortable to talk about his parent's deaths, the traumatic experience still running rampant through his brain. The glasses helped take some of the guilt off, but it never truly erased it.

Regardless of his inner turmoil, the audience loved it. Some of the council people for SI had surprised him and what he thought was going to be a boring meeting, actually turned into him sharing his latest invention with a group of aspiring young college students. He was relieved and thrilled to be up on center stage, excitement coursing through his veins when he saw the excitement on their faces.

However, not everyone was as thrilled and excited as Tony.

After talking with some of the college students, he politely excused himself and walked down a quiet corridor. He located the elevator of the building, and some woman dressed in a casual black dress, with a purse and high heels of the same color to match, stood directly in front of it. He thought nothing of it as he walked his way over.

"Going up," he asked her, pushing the upwards arrow. She smiled at him and shook her head.

"I'm right where I want to be," she smiled at him. He nodded and waited for the elevator in awkward silence. "You know, it's nice that you've inspired those young people to further pursue the field they're in, Mr. Stark," he looked at her and smiled, "my son would have liked that." She reached into her purse and pulled out an image of a young boy, holding it out for Tony to take. "My son's name was Charlie Spencer, he had big dreams, Mr Stark," she casted her gaze onto him, and he stared back into her cold eyes, "and you murdered him. Does Sokovia ring any bells?." He hitched his breath as his eyes widened, fingers gripping the picture harder.

"I didn't murder him, that wasn't my intention, we were trying to-"

"The only thing you were trying to do, Mr Stark, is try to say you fight for us. But really, you fight for yourself." She looked at him with a dead expression as she spoke, her words were laced with venom, and the same cold gaze of her eyes made him feel smaller as he stood there. He heard the elevator ding, but he didn't move. She turned around and walked away, leaving a guilt ridden Tony all by himself.

Back at New Avengers Facility, Steve found Wanda isolated in her room, watching the news report about the destruction in Lagos. Her eyes were glued to the TV, taking in every hurtful word they said about her, until Steve had enough. He grabbed the remote and turned off the channel, resting against the doorframe as she turned to look at him.

"It's all my fault." She said sadly.

"That's not true."

"Turn the TV back on. They're being very specific."

He sighed and walked over to her, taking a seat next to her. He looked down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs a bit before he spoke.

"Trust me, this ones on me," he sighed and looked at her with a sad smile on his face, "when Rumlow mentioned Bucky's name I froze, and suddenly I was a sixteen year old kid again, in Brooklyn. I think this one's on me more than it is on you." She placed her hand on his shoulder, mimicking his sad smile with her own.

"It's on both of us."

"Ya know, this job… We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time…" he paused, "maybe nobody gets saved."

Just then, Vision materialized through the walls. Steve jumps a bit as he sees Vis out of the corner of his eye, letting out a breath of relief after the small scare. Wanda on the other hand, had a very unamused look on her face.

"Vis! We talked about this."

"Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that…" He paused and gestured towards the door. He saw the continued unamused stare Wanda was giving him, so he decided to explain as to why he was here in the first place. "Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving."

"Thank you," Steve smiled, "we'll be right down."

"I'll… Use the door." He started to exit the room, but turned back around and added, "oh, and apparently, he's brought a guest." Steve's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"We know who it is."

"The Secretary of State, Mr. Thaddeus Ross."

Steve didn't have any time to talk to Tony about the sudden invitation of the Secretary of State, since the aforementioned Secretary had immediately called the Avengers into a meeting. They were all situated in the common room, Secretary Ross circling around them as he spoke.

"Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my back-swing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass . . . I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective." He stopped his circling and stood at the front of the table, staring at all of them before continuing. "The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives . . . but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some . . . who would prefer the word "vigilantes.""

"What about you," Natasha asked with her head slightly tilted, a stoic expression on her face, "what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?"

He smirked at her before speaking once more. "How about "dangerous?'' He activated a screen behind him, various images and videos of past Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. matters flashed on the screen. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind? How about we start with New York?"

_**The screen conjured up images of a Chitauri leviathan. Terrified citizens. A soldier firing a gun. The Hulk smashing into a building and sending a dust cloud to engulf the camera.**_

"Washington DC."

_**The three Insight helicarriers, firing on each other. The destroyed Triskelion. A helicarrier crashing into the water and throwing up a massive wave, engulfing citizens and the camera.**_

"Sokovia."

_**Terrified citizens, running. The city rising. A building falling over.**_

Some of the members on the team couldn't avert their eyes from the screen. Some of them had their heads down in shame, guilt eating away at them.

"Lagos."

_**The burning building. Paramedics moving a body. A dead girl.**_

Wanda's breath hitches and Steve picked this up immediately. He didn't want her to put all of the blame of Lagos on herself again, it wasn't something she needed to do. So, he intervened.

"Ok. That's enough."

Ross nods his head, bringing a small remote out of his pocket that caused the images to disappear with the click of a button. "For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and _no_ supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution."

He reached into a suitcase off to the side of a table, opened it up, and placed a thick document on the table, passing it to Wanda. She looked over the title of the first page, and flipped through some of its contents before handing it over to Rhodey who was right next to her.

"It's called, "_The Sokovia Accords." _Approved by one hundred and seventeen countries." When the document reached its place in front of Steve, he couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach. "It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

"With all due respect, Secretary Ross, the Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that." Steve said.

"Tell me, Captain," Ross smiled condescendingly, "do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Steve kept quiet and bit his lip. Truth be told, he had absolutely no idea where they were right now. "If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes . . . you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground." Ross started to gather up his things, leaving the document with the Avengers, and taking his suitcase with him. When he got to the door, he turned around to add one more thing. "Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords."

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha asked.

He smiled once more and said, "then you retire." With that, the Secretary took his leave.

When Ross left, the team began to talk about the accords. Some of them agreed that they should sign, stating that they themselves were too dangerous to be trusted, and with someone watching over them, they could make sure what they were doing would be managed. However, some of them agreed that they shouldn't sign, stating that they were basically giving their freedom away, and who knows what the government considers Avenger level threats or not.

Sam and Rhodey started bickering for a bit, Steve tried to tune them out as he looked over the Accords. He sighed heavily as he tried to drown out the bickering duo. Suddenly, Vision voiced his own opinion.

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

Steve looked up from the Accords towards the robotic like male a few feet across from him, his own eyebrows raised in confusion. "Are you saying it's our fault?"

"I'm saying there may be a causality," he spoke slowly and carefully, "our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict . . . breeds catastrophe. Oversight . . . oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Tony," Natasha called his name, making him look at her from his place on a couch just a few feet away from the rest of them, "you are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal."

As Steve looked at Tony, he realized she had a point. Tony wasn't one to quietly sit around when something big was happening; he would always be the one to explicitly voice his opinion, and try to have everyone understand where he was coming from. He looked as if he was dealing with some inner turmoil, the way he slumped in his seat. If the genius wasn't actively trying to say whether he disagreed or not, he must've already come to a conclusion way before anybody else knew about this.

"It's because he's already made up his mind." Tony looked at Steve with a stoic expression on his face. He sighed and stood up abruptly, making his way over to the coffee maker.

"Boy, you know me so well." The tone in his voice made Steve frown a little bit. It sounded like Tony was a little bit… Annoyed? Whatever it was, the genius was the furthest away from happy. "Just thinking is all, Cap. That's all we really can do, ya know?" The coffee maker started up, and while he was waiting, he grabbed his phone and pulled up a projection on the table the rest of his team was sitting at. "I want you to look at what's been on my mind for the past few hours," he pointed towards the image of the little boy, "Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall." Steve looked at him as he spoke, the frown on his face deepening. "He never did get to explore the world, ya know, go to Paris, or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. No, instead he was spending his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia."

The team looked visibly affected by this, and before Steve could voice his own opinion, Tony continued immediately. "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." He shrugged and took his finished coffee mug away from the coffee maker, taking a few sips of the scalding hot black liquid, before setting the mug down and looking at the rest of them once more. "There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."

"Tony," Steve called, making the genius meet his gaze, "someone dies on your watch, you don't give up."

Tony scoffed, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. "Who says we were giving up?"

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blames."

Tony rubbed the side of his head, feeling a migraine coming on the more he brewed on this topic with Steve.

"This isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra, Steve. This is the United Nations, and thinking like that is dangerously arrogant." Rhodey voiced his opinion this time.

"It's run by people with agendas, and with all due respect agendas change." Steve said calmly.

"Which is why I'm here," Tony smiled, "when I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I put a stop to it and-"

"Tony, you chose to do that," Steve interrupted, "if we sign this, we lose the right to choose. What if they send us somewhere we don't think we should go, and if there's a place we need to go, they won't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done _to _us later."

"You're saying they'll come for me?" Wanda asked.

"We'll protect you." Reassured Vision.

"Maybe Tony's right." Steve and Tony turned their gaze towards Natasha, a shocked expression on both their faces.

"Hold on, I must be dreaming. Did _the_ Black Widow just say I'm right?"

"Oh, now I wanna take it back."

The rest of the conversation was lost on deaf ears from Steve, the only sound catching his ears was his phone buzzing in his pocket. He fished it out, and saw an incoming call.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Steve. It's me, Sharon Carter."

"Oh, hi Sharon. Is there any reason you're calling me?" He tried his best not to sound rude, but he was just very confused at how she got his number, and what was so important at this very moment.

"Yes there's actually a very good reason why I'm calling you." As he listened closer, he could hear the way her breath shook, the way her breathing hitched a bit, as if she was crying a few minutes before this call. "It's… It's Peggy, Steve. She's gone. In her sleep."

He felt the color drain from his face. He pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed the end call button. He could feel eyes boring into his skull. He turned to look at Tony who had a concerned look on his face.

"Are you ok, Steve?"

He swallowed the lump in his throat, averting his eyes from the genius to look at the rest of his team. He could see their eyes fixated on him as well. He felt his hands start to tremble, and he slowly backed out of the room, not taking his eyes off of everyone for even a split second.

"I have to go." As soon as the words left his mouth, he left the rest of his team and made his way down a flight of stairs that lead towards the garage. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, leaned against the cold steel of the wall next to him, and bowed his head to his chest. It broke his heart to have someone he cared so much about, and who he had history with, to suddenly pass away. It wasn't fair at all. He visited her earlier today, and just within a matter of hours, she was gone. He felt the first wave of tears hit, but he didn't bother to wipe them away. He didn't care to wipe them away, even when he heard footsteps coming to his exact location. He turned his head and stared into the eyes of his lover. The tears flowed more when he felt the genius wrap his arms around him, and he sobbed as he told Tony what happened. It wasn't fair to Steve at all, but the cold reality was that life was typically never fair, and it knew how to push Steve past his breaking point.

* * *

He stood in the now empty London Cathedral, staring down at the porcelain white coffin. Sharon told him how Peggy's funeral would be held here in London, so she could be closer to the family members that lived here. As he continued to stare at the coffin, it felt like he was enduring some sort of nightmare; that if he just closed his eyes and opened them again, he would be back in New Avenger Facility, sleeping in the bed he shared with Tony. Try as he may it was futile. Peggy was gone, resting peacefully in the coffin that he and Tony both carried into the Cathedral, remembering how tight his chest was with each step. He recalled listening to the words of those who spoke as he touched the coffin, a sad smile forming. He heard two pairs of footsteps behind him, then a hand gently placed on his right shoulder. He removed his hand from the coffin and turned his head to see Tony and Natasha. Tony was the one who had his hand on Steve's shoulder, and as he turned completely around that same hand dropped to his forearm.

"When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone," he casted his gaze over to Natasha before continuing, "then you told me she was alive. I was just lucky to have her." He saw her lips curve upwards into a soft smile, unspoken words between them. He sighed softly and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, staring at Natasha once more. "If I may ask, who else signed?"

"Rhodey, Vision, and I." Tony said instead of Natasha. Steve nodded his head slowly, coming to terms with how some of his teammates, especially his lover, had already taken the time to sign. It stung just a little bit, but what could he do about it?

"Clint?"

"Says he's retired."

"Wanda?"

"To be determined," Natasha said this time and motioned towards the door with her head, "I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There's plenty of room on the jet." He looked at her, deep scowl on his face before putting his head down. He felt a hand on his shoulder once more and looked up, hurt blue eyes staring into considerate browns.

"Just because it's the path of least resistance doesn't mean it's the wrong path. Staying together is more important than how we stay together." Tony was trying his best to comfort Steve during the whole Accords debate. Regardless of what they lose by agreeing to Secretary Ross's terms, they would at least still be a family. He saw Steve's blue eyes tremble a bit, his resolve faltering for a mere second. His eyes held so much emotion behind them, and Tony was always able to pick up how he felt. He rubbed the blonde's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down as he looked between Tony and Natasha.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I can't sign it." They were giving up way too much for the super soldier to be ok with, and that's something he couldn't stand for. If he was going to keep his family, he wanted to keep it exactly the way it was without any sort of constrictions holding them back.

"We know." Natasha said, walking over to him.

"Then what are you two doing here?"

They looked at each before turning back towards him, smiles on both their faces before Tony was the one to speak. "We didn't want you to be alone." He stepped forwards and brought Steve in for a hug, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him close. Natasha followed shortly after, wrapping her hands around his waist, joining in on the hug. Steve closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath before hugging both of them just tightly enough so he wouldn't hurt them. When they pulled apart, Natasha was the first to speak.

"I have to go to Vienna now, but feel free to join in on the ride and have private time with each other." She turned around and started to walk out of the London Cathedral, leaving the two males by themselves. Brown eyes met blue once more, and Tony held out his hand for the blonde.

"Let's go to a hotel and just… be a couple," Tony proposed with a bright smile on his face. It warmed Steve's heart how the genius was trying to make him feel better. He gently took the other's hand in his, and they followed a few feet behind Natasha, back to the jet.

The ride to Vienna was relatively short, considering the speed at which the jet was going at. Tony and Steve were dropped off at the nearest hotel, just a few blocks down the road from the meeting Natasha had to attend. Steve was currently laying down in the comfy bed of the room they were in after he changed out of his funeral attire, while Tony was busy checking himself out in the mirror bathroom after he just finished changing.

"Are you done yet?" Steve asked. He turned his head to see the genius finally exit the bathroom, a smile on his face as he flopped down onto the bed next to Steve.

"Miss me that much, huh?" Steve snorted and rolled his eyes, looking at the man next to him. "Ya know, sometimes when I look at you, the most intimate thoughts go through my head."

"Oh yea," Steve raised an eyebrow, "what do these intimate thoughts entail?"

"Well, one of them does have us in the compromising position. Although, something is missing." Tony smirked, inching himself a little closer to the blonde, draping one leg over his hip. Steve blushed at Tony's actions, looking into the brunette eyes and noticing a hint of mischief in those brown orbs of his.

"What uh… what's missing?" He asked timidly. He felt Tony grip his wrist, maneuvering his hand, and placing it gently on his hip.

"Well for one, your hand isn't where it should be." He kept his eyes fixated on the hand that was slowly being crept downwards towards Tony's backside. His breath hitched when he felt his hand on the geniuses ass. He bit his lip and stared at his lover, those brown caramel orbs shimmering with lust written all over them.

"Tony… I don't… I don't know," he was stopped shortly by a pair of soft lips on his, causing his hand to squeeze Tony's ass, eliciting a moan from the genius. It excited the blonde, sending a satisfying pulse towards a specific part of his anatomy. When they pulled back Tony got on top of Steve, straddling him and casting his lust filled gaze down at the man. Steve placed his other hand on Tony's rear, noticing the way the brunette bit his lip as he felt the blonde caress, squeeze, and massage him. It sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine, and towards the already stiff erection in his pants.

"Steve…" Tony whispered lustfully. He leaned down and captured those lips with his once more, opening his mouth when he felt the other's tongue swiping across his bottom lip, asking for entrance. Their tongues danced around for a bit, savoring the way the other tasted until the need for air arose and Tony pulled back once more, a small string of saliva connecting at their lips.

"Tony… I don't know if I want to go all the way just yet, it's too soon and the timing feels wrong." Steve confessed. He really wanted to have these intimate moments with the smaller male, but they could never find the time with their busy lives. He felt bad for ruining the moment, but to his shock, Tony lay flat against him, his mouth hovering dangerously close to Steve's ear, causing the blonde to shiver when he felt the hot breath tickle his ear.

"I'm not asking for you to go all the way," he whispered seductively, "I just want to give you something real nice. A simple distraction from reality." He bit Steve's earlobe before trailing down his jaw to his neck with kisses, taking the time to lick the taller males neck. He loved the way Steve squirmed and moaned with pleasure as the wet apendange continued it's assault on his neck. He continued downwards leaving a trail of kisses, briefly pushing up the super soldier's shirt to happily kiss from his chest down to his stomach, kissing his abs, and stopping just above the waistline of his pants.

"Tony… please." Steve begged softly. He looked down at the brunette who was busying himself with taking off his belt. Once he succeeded, Steve's breath hitched as Tony successfully undid his belt, and used his teeth to slowly pull down the zipper. Steve couldn't lie that this side of Tony turned him on, and watching the genius pull down his zipper using his teeth had caused Steve cock to twitch in response. He blushed as he saw the smile on Tony's face as he pulled the zipper all the way down, and giggled when he saw the pulse of his erection against his boxers.

"You seem a little pent up, Steve," Tony licked his lips as he saw the bulge in Steve's boxers, "tell me, is there anything that's bothering you." He rubbed his hand over Steve's erection, eliciting a moan from the blonde. Butterflies flapped their wings violently in his stomach, loving the sound of Steve's moans when he was touched like this.

"Tony…" Steve moaned his name. The genius continued to play and tease the hardened appendage, loving the way Steve squirmed and blushed as he looked at him.

"Yes dear," he said, starting to slowly pull down the super soldier's boxers, "is there something you want?" He bit his lips as he watched the black boxer briefs slowly cascade down Steve's form, his erection just a few painfully agonizing seconds away from being free of its confines.

"_You…"_ The blonde growled, losing his self control. He panted heavily as he watched his boxers slowly find its place around his knees, his cock finally released into the open. He wanted Tony to touch him badly, he _needed_ the brunette to touch him.

"What about me," Tony inched his face closer to Steve's erection, loving how the blonde bit his lip when Tony's breath hit his tip, "what do you want me to do?"

"_Please…," _Steve begged once more, he couldn't take the teasing anymore, "Please… Suck my dick, Tony."

"Your wish is my command, _Captain."_ Steve loved the way Tony called him that at this moment, but all he could think about as he arched his back, was how good it felt for Tony's tongue to lick upwards from his shaft to his tip. He placed his hand in the brown locks of his lover, trying to resist the urge to thrust into the warm mouth that soon wrapped around his erection. He was in total bliss as he felt Tony bob his head expertly up and down his throbbing cock, loving the way his tongue licked up his shaft as he went up and down. He was a moaning mess, and he loved the way Tony was making him feel.

Tony ignored his own aching erection to focus on the task at hand, it didn't matter whether he got off or not, he was fully enjoying the sounds of his lover. He savored the way Steve tasted, loving how he was the one getting the super soldier off. He felt the taller male thrust into his mouth after a while, finally losing the self control he was holding back in order to let go and fully enjoy this. He gagged a little bit, but it didn't stop him from continuing. He bobbed his head up and down faster, and felt the hand in his hair grip his brown locks tightly. He heard Steve let out a shaky breath, and his thrusts started to get a little faster. He knew Steve was close, and he wanted to taste more of what he had to offer once he found his release.

"Ahh… Tony I'm-" he moaned again, biting his lip as he felt his body start to shiver violently out of pleasure. There was a swirling vortex of heat pooling in his stomach, and he knew he was about to come undone. "Tony!" He moaned the brunette's name one last time, before releasing a warm white load into his lover's mouth. Tony didn't pull back, he happily swallowed the warm dense liquid, savoring the exquisite salty taste. He swallowed as much as he could before slowly pulling Steve out of his mouth, panting heavily. The super soldier was a complete mess, panting as well, eyes closed and head rested softly on the pillow. He whimpered at the loss of warmth and wetness from Tony's mouth, but felt a warmth sensation in his heart when he felt the brunette kiss his cheek. He opened his eyes and smiled, staring into the brown orbs of his fella. He reached a hand up and ran his fingers through his hair, eliciting a sigh of happiness from the genius.

"So, how do you feel babe?" Tony asked.

"Mmm… I feel good." He chuckled and retracted his fingers from Tony's hair. He leaned up for a bit, pulling both his boxers and pants up, dressing his lower half and redoing his belt before sighing happily and pulling Tony close. "Thank you, although you'd think having sex after a funeral in morally wrong." Tony chuckled in response, leaning forward and placing a kiss on Steve's lips.

"When have I ever done anything morally right?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I swear, whoever is teaching you all this sass needs to be fired." Steve laughed at Tony's comment, relaxing into the bed once more and closing his eyes. He wasn't really tired, but after what Tony did for him, he wanted to just relax until he gained some of his energy back.

They laid there for what felt like hours, neither of them really moving a muscle. Steve was happily resting, and Tony was occupying himself with his phone, reading over the accords once more. The peaceful tranquility of the room was soon disturbed, as the pair heard a loud explosion in the distance. Steve shot up from the bed, eyes wide as he looked at Tony.

"What was that!?" Tony opened his mouth to say something, but the ringing of Steve's phone cut him off. He grabbed the phone off it's place on the desk near the bed, and immediately answered.

"Hello?"

"Steve, where are you right now?" The voice of Sam filled his ear.

"I'm at a hotel with Tony, why?"

"Do me a big favor, and turn on the TV. You're gonna wanna see this." He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, but followed the order he was given. He located the remote which was inside the drawer of the desk his phone was previously on, and turned on the TV with the click of a button. He felt his breath hitch when he saw the destroyed image of the Conference Hall, and a picture of Bucky, promptly following after.

"Sam?" He let out a shaky breath.

"Sharon was sent to go and investigate the scene. Said she's gonna bring back some information on what happened. I think you'd better get over here, and while you're at it, call Nat to see if she's ok." He felt himself go pale, realization hit him. He turned back to Tony and in a frantic voice said,

"I gotta go," before bolting out of the room, leaving a confused genius behind.

He dialed the number as he ran, hoping to all that was good she was ok. The phone continued to ring as he got closer towards the desecrated structure, and only when the ringing stopped and her voice pierced his eardrum, did he finally slow down to catch his breath.

"Yeah?"

"You alright?"

"Ah, yeah, thanks. I got lucky." She paused for a few minutes, he bit his lip as he looked around, observing the carnage. The building was in shambled, broken glass everywhere, a crater formed on the exterior that gave a clear view of the interior. He noticed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the scene, conversing with each other to figure out where Bucky went off to. "Steve?"

"Yeah?" He noticed Sam looking at him from the outside of a coffee shop, motioning with his head to come over to him. He started to casually walk over to him as Natasha spoke once more.

"I know how much Barnes means to you, but for the rest of us, please stay home. Otherwise-"

"Are you gonna arrest me?" He sat down next to Sam who was busy drinking from his coffee mug.

"No. Someone will." She heard the slight amused huff of breath from the other line.

"No offense, but if he's this far gone I should be the one to bring him in."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm the only one least likely to die trying." He hung up the phone and sighed, casting a sideways glance to the male next to him.

"She told you to stay out of it?" He nodded his head. "Might have a point." He finished his cup of coffee and threw the mug into the trash can next to him.

"He'd do it for me." The small sound of a file being dropped onto the wooden table they were at caused him to cast his gaze forwards once more. He noticed the file, and then noticed the blonde haired female that was standing next to him who delivered the file.

"My boss expects a briefing," Sharon started, "and I've gathered as much info on the Winter Soldier as I can." He smiled at her and opened the file, reading it's contents. It showed images of Bucky, where he's been and all the locations S.H.I.E.L.D. has seen his face pop up. He located the apartment number where Bucky resided in Bucharest. He closed the file and nodded to Sharon, getting out of his seat followed by Sam to go after his best friend.

"Oh, one more thing!" He turned around to look at her and noticed her steel gaze fixated on him. "You better find him fast, Captain Rogers. We have orders to shoot on sight."

* * *

He walked around casually in the busy streets of Bucharest, talking to nearby vendors, purchasing groceries like a normal citizen. He felt the freest he's ever been, he felt in control of his own emotions without worrying about the next time his mind might slip back into that dark void of emptiness. He smiled as he spoke Romanian to the local fruit store vendor as he purchased some plums. His smile grew wider as he left the store, it was so refreshing not to be on the run from people who recognized you as the cold merciless killer they trained you to be. He was just regular, James Buchanan Barnes. He wasn't the Winter Soldier here, he was just himself.

After the whole Triskelion incident, he had to vanish from the world, lay low for a while till everything blew over. His mind, however, couldn't get the name Steve Rogers out of his head. Before he left New York, he kindly visited one of their museums, where he not only learned all about Steve, but about himself. It was as if his body was suddenly shocked with electricity, and the surges were coursing through his veins as he read bit by bit about the man, and about how he used to be a part of the Howling Commandos. He knew the truth, but the rest of the memories didn't line up, they weren't coming back.

He felt uneasy as he continued walking, as if he were being watched. His pace slowed and he turned his head to the right. He saw a young new stand vendor, looking directly at him with a cold gaze. He turned his gaze away for a bit, but promptly looked back once more. He saw the vendor run away from his stand, and Bucky took the opportunity to walk on over. He picked up a piece of paper, and his nerves spiked at what he read. There on the front cover, was a picture of him in Vienna, and the title stated how the Winter Soldier was wanted for the bombing in Vienna. He shook his head and glanced around, feeling eyes everywhere. His instincts were giving off warning signs, prompting him to leave the area and immediately head back to his apartment.

As he trekked the stairs of the familiar building, he noticed the door was open. He curled his hands into fist, his metal one creaking a bit as he slipped into Winter Soldier mode. He took carefully slow steps towards the door, peering around the corner into the room. He relaxed a little as he saw a familiar red, white and blue uniform standing in the kitchen, his back turned towards the door. He stepped inside and closed the door, locking it. The blonde turned around and he noticed the familiar notebook he kept on the fridge in his hands. As they stared at each other, Steve was the first to break the silence.

"Do you know me?"

"You're Steve," Bucky said calmly, "I read all about you in a museum."

"_They've set the perimeter."_ Sam radioed Steve in through the comm device in his ear.

"I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."

"I wasn't in Vienna," he shook his head, "I don't do that anymore."

In the distance their super hearing had picked up the sounds of footsteps coming close to the building. Steve knew he was running out of time, but he had to get as much as he could out of Bucky.

"Well the people coming here think you did. And they're not planning on taking you alive."

"That's smart. Good strategy." Bucky chuckled.

"_They're on the rooftop, I'm compromised."_ He could hear Sam moving around, trying to relocate himself.

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck."

"Doesn't it always." He sighed. The footsteps were getting even closer, and more louder. Steve looked at his best friend who was slowly starting to slip back into Winter Soldier mode. He thought back to the helicarrier incident, of how his body fell towards the water below and someone pulled him out. It couldn't have been Tony, he would've heard the sound of repulsors as his body shut down. Logically speaking, it had to have been Bucky.

"Why did you pull me out of the water when I fell?" He saw his friends blue eyes stare at him, a blank expression written in them.

"I don't know."

The footsteps were right outside the door, but they didn't care.

"Yes, you do."

He heard Sam yell the word breach into his ear just as a grenade was thrown into the window. Bucky was the first to react as he kicked the object at Steve, who used his shield to contain the blast. The door was next to go as a battering ram broke it off its hinges. Bucky sprung into action once more as he used the dining table to block the door as cops started to enter on cables through the windows. Bucky fought his way through them, even going so far to slam one of them into the wall.

"Buck, stop! You're gonna kill someone!" Steve yelled. Bucky turned around and grabbed Steve, slamming him onto the wooden ground as a bullet pierced through the window. He stood up and threw a punch towards Steve's face with his metal arm. The blonde dodged and the metal collided with the wooden planks.

"I'm not gonna kill anyone," Bucky said, taking out a backpack that was hidden underneath the floorboard. He started to maneuver towards the back of the apartment where the fire escape was, Steve following behind him once he recovered off the floor.

The two of them fought their way downstairs, Bucky rashly knocking the cops away from him without any sense of awareness to their well being, and Steve carefully hitting them hard enough to knock them unconscious. Bucky took the liberty of dropping down a few flights of stairs, aiming to get lower and towards one of the doors that lead towards a balcony. Steve followed in pursuit, even having to catch one of the cops that Bucky so happily tried to throw over the railing. The Winter Soldier dropped down one more flight of steps, knocking a few more cops out of the way before he found the door he was looking for. He opened it and ran as fast as he could. He jumped on top of the railing and pushed off, gaining enough momentum to safely land on the other building across the one he jumped off of.

A heavy object collided with Bucky's back, and it sent him tumbling a few steps. He scrambled to regain his footing, rolling around a bit until he was finally back on his feet. His eyebrows scrunched as he looked at who attacked him. It was a full black suit that appeared to look like a… Panther? He couldn't really make out much except for the physique of the masked person being one of a muscular male. There was no time to access the situation as the Black Panther extended the suit's miniature claws, and proceeded to attack Bucky once more.

Steve was watching the fight from the balcony. He heard the familiar sound of the Falcon wings, and he looked up to see Sam hovering a few feet near him.

"Southwest rooftop." Steve said.

"Who's the other guy?"

"About to find out." Steve started to slowly back up towards the door as Sam took off. He used his super soldier agility to run forward and leap over the railing and onto the building where Bucky and the Black Panther were. When he rolled forward and his feet got re-acquainted with the rooftop ground, he heard the sound of blades whirling at a fast rate. He turned and saw a chopper, armed with a machine gun. Upon seeing the Winter Soldier, the machine gun roared to life and released a barrage of bullets.

Bucky was quick to act on his feet, using the momentum from the Black Panthers clawing motion to grab his wrist, and turn him towards the onslaught of bullets. The masked male was unfazed, however, thanks to the structural design of the suit absorbing the bullets the impact of the bullets, causing them to fall towards the ground. Bucky takes the moment to throw the man a few feet away from him, grabbing his backpack and starting to jump from rooftop to rooftop, until his feet finally hit the asphalt of the ground below. His eyes scanned the area and spotted someone on a motorbike through the heavy traffic. He sprung into action, using his metal arm to grab the speeding vehicle, stopping it's momentum and using his human hand to pry the driver off. He took his seat on the now "borrowed" vehicle and accelerated his way through traffic. He looked back and grit his teeth. The Black Panther was still following him, perched on top of one of the many cop cars chasing him. He turned his gaze towards the street in front, leaning his body forward to gain more momentum.

Suddenly, he felt an extra weight being added to the motorbike. He turned around once more and came face to face with the Black Panther himself. Bucky's instincts kicked in, and he grabbed the man, flinging him over his head. He lost his balance, however, as the action caused the tires to teeter side to side in a way that caused the motorbike to topple over, and send Bucky rolling across the floor. He let out a huff of frustration and turned his head, once again meeting face to face with the masked male. He sprung into action as the man lept at him, fighting off the attacker. He was pinned to his back and looked up, seeing the miniature claws unsheathed themselves again. Within a fraction of a second, the scene swapped itself.

He watched as the Black Panther became a blue, and the familiar red, white and blue colors of a suit came into his vision. He looked up and saw Steve. His hearing focused on the sirens all around them, as multiple police officers stepped out of their car. He was beat, and there was nothing he could do.

Steve watched Bucky stand up on his own, silently taking his spot next to him. He turned his gaze back towards the Black Panther, who stood slowly, not taking his masked gaze off of the Bucky, Steve and Sam. He watched as the other male slowly took off his mask, revealing his face as he felt his arms being put behind his back, and the cold press of handcuffs applied to his wrist. He shifted his gaze and found a familiar face; Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, staring at him with a look of disappointment on his face.

"Congratulations, Cap," he said shaking his head, "you're a criminal now." It didn't hit him hard until now. What he thought was the right thing to do, was wrong in the eyes of everyone else. He was caught up in saving his best friend, that he never stopped to think how this could look to everyone else. But Steve shook those feelings off, it didn't matter because right now his best friend needed him more than ever.

He was shoved into the back of a police convoy, Sam joining in the seat next to him. He looked out the side window and saw Bucky, body flat on the ground, not even bothering to struggle as he was handcuffed and restrained. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his gaze only shifting away when the last available seat in front of him was taken up by the unmasked Black Panther.

"Who are you?" Steve asked immediately. The man turned around and gave him a small smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Captain. My name is T'Challa." He nodded his head in response, noticing the way the man kept his piercing gaze on him. "Since you asked me a question, how about I ask you one?" Steve nodded his head again. "Your friend there, he killed my father when he decided to bomb the United Nations meeting. So, I ask you this, Captain. How long do you think you can keep your friend from me?" He broke eye contact with Steve and settled into the seat, leaving Steve with a sense of worry.

It was in Steve nature to protect his friends, and he felt an extra ounce of protection when it came to Bucky. The man was his brother, he was there for him during those days when he was just a skranny pun kid from Brooklyn. He was there for all of Steve's highs, and all of Steve's low's. He was there through the death of his mother, and he was there when Steve was getting beat up in the alley's. Bucky had saved Steve countless times, so now, until the end of time, Steve would always do his best to protect Bucky.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**And thus concludes the first half, and I am currently getting back on track to working on the second half. Might not be finished by Friday, but I will surely do my best. I would also like to say, I am very sorry for poor quality fight scenes, they're my weakness, and I will try to bump up fight scenes to a more acceptable level for myself.**

**I accept any and all constructive criticism and positive feedback, feel free to review and let me know how I am doing, or if you want to private message me feel free to do so as well. I hope everyone is happy and healthy, and I will see you all next time.**

**Much love from me, Bai bai~! 3**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Separate We Fall Part 2

**Author's Note:**

**Ahh! Sorry for the very long wait on this chapter, it was supposed to be done so long ago, but I had so many issues and the main one was having to study copious amounts for finals. But, now I'm able to write again! I've missed uploading things for you guys, and hopefully within these next few days my writing gets up to par again, since it kinda diminished a bit.**

**Also would like to say thank you for 1000+ reads! It means a lot to me knowing that this little idea of mine is getting somewhere xd. Also wanna say I apologize for subpar fight scenes, they aren't my strong suit, but I tried!**

**Usual disclaimers, I don't own any of the quotes/dialogue and characters, they are all owned by Marvel.**

**Now, please enjoy this long awaited chapter!**

* * *

Tony stood with his arms crossed, and a less than amused expression on his face as he looked at Steve. The super soldier refused to meet his gaze as he looked down at his hands in his lap, feeling the tense atmosphere around them. Upon Steve's capture, he was administered to Tony who took him into a secluded, soundproof glass-walled office, where the genius was more than happy to talk to him. When he first gazed into his lovers eyes when he sat down, he saw how upset, and frankly, disappointed Tony was at him, so he just kept his head down to avoid his piercing gaze.

"So, I see you've met T'Challa." Tony broke the silence. Steve nodded his head, refusing to speak as well, not knowing if his voice could hold steady with how his emotions were acting. He heard the genius sigh and he bit his lip, guilt starting to set in. "Just… Why Steve? Why did you do it?"

"Because…" he said softly, "if it was the other way around, he would do the same for me." He lifted his head, finally looking into Tony's eyes. He took in how those brown orbs had softened a bit, but his arms were still crossed and he still carried the unamused look on his face.

"I get that he's your best friend and all, but your actions today holds serious consequences mister." He bit his lip again, nodding his head as he was reprimanded by his lover. "Your shield is being held right now and-"

"Wait, I'm not getting my shield back?"

"That's the least of your worries, let me finish." Steve nodded his head again and let Tony continue. "Barnes is going to be locked up and held here for a while. We've got someone who's gonna talk to him, figure out why he did what he did. As for you," he stood next to Steve, causing the soldier to look up at him with a confused face, "we need to have a serious talk." He reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a fancy black case. He opened it, and inside were two fancy black pens, encased neatly in a soft velvet cushion.

"This was in my dad's archives, FDR used them back in 1941 to sign the Lend-Lease bill. Now I think we're gonna use them for something just as important." A knock on the glass caused both males to turn their heads towards the sound, noticing the familiar redhead at the door. Tony walked over and opened the door for Natasha, and accepted the single sheet of paper she gave him.

"Thanks, Agent Romanoff."

"No problem genius." She glanced over at Steve and he gave a half hearted smile. "Hey, Steve."

"Hey, Nat. How's Sam and Bucky doing?"

"Sam is doing good, although he's a little mad his Falcon wings are being held," she chuckled a little, "and we're keeping an eye on Barnes. You don't need to worry your pretty blonde head about that one, just focus on the task at hand. And try not to get into any more trouble." She turned around and took her leave from the door. Tony walked back over to Steve after shutting the door, and placed the sheet in front of him.

"Secretary Ross called me earlier and he wants you and Sam prosecuted. He was screaming in my ear, so I did what any normal person would have done. I screamed back," Steve smiled a little, "but I told him there would be consequences to get him off your back. I don't wanna see you go, Cap. We need you, _I_ need you. So, please… Can we make the last 24 hours worth it, and can you just sign the darn paper? I promise that if you do, Barnes gets sent to an American psych-center instead of a Wakandan prison." Steve looked into his lover's eyes, his resolve faltering for a bit as he stared into those warm and comforting brown orbs. He swallowed the lump in his throat and reached for one of the black pens. He brought the tip of the pen down onto the paper and kept it there, not moving his hand to start his signature.

"If I'm going to sign this; and I'm not saying it's impossible, but there would need to be safeguards."

"Sure. Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended. I'd file a motion to have you and Wanda reinstated." Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Wanda? What about Wanda?"

"Well, she's uhm… She's confined, to the compound, currently. In her room." Tony confessed.

"Oh, come on, Tony." Steve dropped the pen and stared at the genius in disbelief.

"Ok, hear me out," he put his hands up in surrender as Steve stood from the chair, "I did it for her protection."

"Protection," he raised his eyebrows, "that's how you see this? Locking her in her room-"

"With Vision, mind you."

"-is considered protection? That's interment, Tony."

"I can't have her being seen outside, the public already has a bad image of her. They don't take kindly to weapons of mass destruction."

"She's a kid!"

"GIVE ME A BREAK! I'm doing what has to be done… I'm trying to stave off something worse."

Steve let out a breath of frustration, nodding his head as he looked at the genius. "Ya know what," Steve put the pen down, then looked at Tony once more with a smile on his face, "you keep believing that." He promptly moved past the genius to open the door and exit the glass-windowed office. He walked through the facility, eyes scanning everywhere, looking for something to do while he waited for news on either Bucky, or about getting his shield back.

"Hey, Captain Rogers," he heard someone call his name. He turned his head and spotted Sharon. She motioned for him to come over and wasted no time in following her towards the room labeled: "Control Room."

"Got any information for me?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"No, but I thought you might want to see how your friend is doing." She walked over to a monitor that showed an image of Bucky, restrained to a chair in a glass pod. Steve frowned at the image, hating to see Bucky like this. "We got the evaluator in them with him now. He's going to see why Barnes did something like this."

"I really don't think Bucky would do something like this, Sharon."

"What makes you say that?" She kept her eyes glued to the screen as he spoke, flipping a switch to turn on the audio feed.

"Well, if I were a highly trained assassin who disappeared off the face of the earth after the Triskelion incident, then all of a sudden I bombed a national meeting and my face was everywhere, shouldn't that ring any bells?" She thought for a moment, a small crease forming between her eyebrows as she thought. "It seems pretty illogical to me, as if the bombing was to draw Bucky out of hiding."

"You're saying someone framed him?" She turned around to look at him this time as she spoke. Steve nodded his head and watched as Sharon bit her lip, thinking once again. She shook her head and looked at him once more. "That doesn't make any sense. It doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. Unless…" She turned back towards the monitor, gaze focused fiercely on the image, ears listening to every word spoken, and suddenly, it clicked. "It guaranteed that we would." Steve followed her gaze, looking at the monitor with a frown on his face again. As they watched the live video feed, something weird happened. The lights in the room Bucky was started to flicker until all of a sudden, they shut off completely.

"Does that usually happen?" Steve asked. Just then, the lights in the area they were in turned off as well, and an alarm blared throughout the building, a red flashing light notifying everyone. Steve looked at the screen and through the flickers of red light, he could see Bucky thrashing about, struggling as the evaluator circled around him.

"I gotta get down there. Where is he?"

"Sub-level 5, east wing." He nodded his head at Sharon and made a run for it. As he maneuvered through the building he saw Sam.

"Hey man, I was just looking for you. What's going on?"

"No time to explain, we gotta get to Bucky." He took off again, leaving the other male to follow behind him. They ran through corridor after corridor, until finally they arrived. Steve went on ahead, not wanting to waste any second if Bucky was in trouble. He saw the same red warning light continue to flash in the dark room as he stepped further in. He saw the unconscious littered bodies of cops in the room, and the broken door of the pod.

"Help me…" The faintest plea for help was picked up by his super hearing, and he located where the voice came from. His eyes narrowed as he looked to see the face of the evaluator on the floor. He sauntered over, but the anger coursing through him, veins popping up near his neck and temple, were not to be overlooked. He grabbed the evaluator by the back of the collar, pulling him harshly up onto his feet before shoving him into a wall.

"I'm gonna ask you this only once," he whispered harshly, venom laced in his voice, "who are you? What do you want?" The mystery man turned his head, staring into cold blue eyes, the hint of a smile catching Steve's gaze, making his eyes twitch.

"To watch an empire fall." The words left his mouth is a rushed whisper, and before Steve could respond, he heard footsteps behind him, thundering across the floor. His grip on the evaluator loosened, allowing him to slip away, and as he turned, he ducked the incoming metal fist thrown his way. The wall dented and cracked behind him, his eyes glanced at the cold, dark gaze of Bucky's blue eyes staring back at him. He grabbed Steve's jaw with his other hand and threw him at the pod Bucky was held in earlier. His back collided with the cold metal, a burning ache of pain, gripping his spine, washed over him, jaw set tight as grit his teeth to suppress the yelp that wanted to fly out past his lips. He heard another pair of footsteps, and when he looked up, he saw Sam, fighting against Bucky. He hoisted himself up off the ground, making his way over to help Sam. He gripped Bucky's shoulder and pried him off the other male, and was met with an elbow to the side of his head. He staggered for a bit, holding the side of his head for a moment. Bucky tossed Sam into a wall, his head bounced off, and he fell to the floor, body limp. Bucky turned his gaze back over to Steve, and rushed at him.

With every punch Bucky sent Steve's way, Steve was able to block it, and whenever an opportunity arose to deliver a punch of his own, he swung, but as Bucky kept swinging his fist, it was clear that Steve's own punches weren't having any form of effect. A swift kick to the midsection caused Steve's breath to hitch, and a hit to his face staggered his focus. He teetered, and his back hit the cold metal doors of an elevator. He blinked rapidly, trying to will the black dots dancing around his vision away, and just as he regained focus, he was able to dodge the metal fist that was aimed towards his chest. It dented the elevator door, and without a moment's rest, the metal arm was pulled back and aimed for his chest once more. His hands quickly clasped around the fist, his own strength fighting against Bucky's, the metal gears in his arm were wiring faster as Steve pushed back, recalibrating the amount of strength Bucky's metal arm was giving.

In the mere fraction of a second, faster than Steve could react, Bucky's metal fist overpowered him, and he found the metal doors creaking under the pressure of him being shoved violently. The metal groaned and creaked, contorting to his body, and he could feel the doors about to give ever so slightly. A sharp kick to his midsection sent him sprawling backwards, and his head hit the metal bars inside the elevator vent, his body falling until it met the hard, cold steel plating on the top of the elevator. His head touched base with the steel, and black spots danced around his vision again until he found himself unconscious.

Bucky stepped away from the scene and made his way towards the upper level of the facility. When Sam came to, he shook his head and stood up on wobbly legs. His body felt sore after being so forcefully thrown into the wall, but he ignored the pain and took a gander off to the side. He saw the evaluator heading to the emergency stairs, pausing to turn back and look at Sam before bursting into a sprint. He grit his teeth and started to chase after him.

Back at the common area, civilians were running in a panic, pushing, shoving, and bumping into each other as they tried to exit the building. The lights were still out, but the warning light continued to flash. Tony looked for Natasha as soon as the lights went off. When he found her, she was already walking down the corridor to come and find him, Sharon in tow.

"Please tell me you brought a suit." Natasha asked. They quickened their pace as they walked, frantically trying to get to wherever Bucky might be.

"Sure did," he replied as he played with his watch, "it's a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button. I'm an active-duty non-combatant."

"Follow me." Sharon said, running past them. As they followed through the corridors towards the east wing, they could hear a fight breakout amongst all the screaming from the civilians. It was Bucky, fighting off some of the security guards that stood in his way. They broke off and devised a plan, Sharon and Natasha would have the element of surprise on him, while Tony would be the front line, distracting Bucky long enough for them to subdue him.

Tony slowly inched his way into the room, back against the wall, fiddling with his watch. He turned the dial towards one of the Iron Man gauntlets, and the watch folded back, protruding five thin wires that he attached to his fingers, and the gauntlet materialized. He flexed his fingers to get a feel for the armor, and a small humming sound followed.

"We're in position." He heard Natasha say into his ear piece. He moved himself from the wall into the room, and as Bucky dropped the last security guard, Tony held up his gauntlet and let out a sound wave towards Bucky. The blast stunned him for a brief moment, his eyes closed for a fraction of a second before he regained his composure. His eyes locked with Tony's as the genius moved closer. He started his advance towards him, and in reaction, Tony held up his gauntlet once more and let out a blinding flash of light, effectively blinding Bucky. He moved forward faster this time, closing the distance but Bucky was fast to recover. He tried to pull the gun on Tony, but he was effectively blocking it from reaching a vital point of his body. He made sure to try and pry the gun from Bucky's hand to neutralize him, but instead found the muzzle of the gun pointed at his face. He quickly covered his gauntlet covered hand over the muzzle as Bucky fired, neutralizing a very life ending bullet from coming into contact with him. As Bucky pulled the gun back, Tony's grip tightened just enough that the barrel of the gun was torn off. With quick reflexes once more he backhanded bucky with the barrel of the gun, which only seemed to piss him off as he brought an elbow to Tony's face, disorienting him, and punching him in the stomach so hard he flew back and crashed into some tables, leaving him breathless.

Shortly after, Natasha and Sharon came up behind Bucky and began their assault on him as well. It was a flurry of kicks and knees being thrown at him, Bucky taking everyone until he caught onto their pattern. When Sharon went for another kick to his face, he caught her leg and then flipped her head over heels into a table, destroying it and leaving her dazed. Natasha leaped around Bucky, legs around his neck and bringing her elbow down on his forehead. It had no effect on him however, and she soon found her back against a table as well, his metal hand around her throat as he stared down at her, applying pressure to her neck as he choked her.

"You could at least recognize me…" She choked out. She felt the need to breathe grow harder and harder, and then suddenly, the grip on her neck loosed up and she took a gasp of breath.

A few feet away from her stood Bucky and T'Challa, trading blow for blow. A punch from Bucky's metal arm pushed T'Challa back down to the ground, and with the distance he gained he started to climb up a flight of stairs. T'Challa was fast on his feet, and before Bucky knew it, the man flung himself off a rail of stairs on the opposite of where he was, and landed perfectly in front of him. They stared at each other once more before T'Challa was the first to make a move. He delivered swift kicks to Bucky which were blocked by his metal arm, and then ducked the third sweeping kick coming towards his face. As Bucky went for a few punches of his own, T'Challa had grabbed his metal arm and tried to flip him, but was met with extreme resistance. The metal arm twisted and groaned, refusing to bend. With quick thinking T'Challa looked behind him and saw the stairway. He used the combined weight of Bucky and himself to cause them to fall backwards, tumbling down the stairs until they reached the bottom. They got up at the same time, Bucky being the first to throw a punch that connected with T'Challa's face. In return, T'Challa threw an uppercut at Bucky, causing the connecting hit to stagger the raven haired male, and allowing T'Challa to deliver a kick to Bucky's mid section that threw him over the rail and into the wall. When T'Challa looked over the railing after Bucky had slid down the wall, he was nowhere to be found.

Sam stepped outside of the building into the broad light of day, looking around the running civilians to see if he could spot the man he was chasing. His eyes glanced over a discarded jacket, walking up to it and picking it up. He sighed in frustration, turning around and inspecting the area, but sadly he didn't find the person he was after.

"Dammit."

Back in the elevator, Steve groaned as his head throbbed violently. He slowly got to his feet, staggering a bit as he up righted himself. As his vision corrected itself from the recent impact, his eyes scanned the area and noticed the coils holding up the elevator, as well as the broken elevator door. He took off his jacket and discarded it onto the top of the elevator before gripping onto the coils, and climbing up towards the open door. Once he reached the top and climbed out, he scanned the area once more, locating the emergency exit stairs. He raced up the stairs, the sound of his own heartbeat ringing in his ears, hoping he could still find Bucky. His legs carried him to the rooftop of the building, and as his hands gripped the cold steel for the doorknob and opened it to the outside world, he saw Bucky, starting up a helicopter ready to be used to make his quick escape. Without hesitation as the helicopter started to lift up off the ground, Steve found himself sprinting towards the aerial vehicle. As the vehicle started to ascend even more, he jumped up and gripped the landing skids, teetering the helicopter's ascension just enough for him to keep his feet on the ground. His shoes were scraping across the gravel as the helicopter dragged him, he tried to push back, but the pulling force of the helicopter continued to drag him, closer to the edge of the building, water waiting for him below. He was dragged over the guard rails and he was mere inches from behind strung up in the air. His hand reached out to hold onto the guard rail, gripping on for dear life that he could feel in his forearm how tight the muscles were. He felt the muscles tear and scream in agony as he used his super strength to keep the helicopter from flying off into the air, Bucky's eyes staring at Steve.

Just then the momentum of the helicopter was brought back to Steve as Bucky turned the handle towards the super soldier. Steve scrambled away in surprise, the helicopter crashing onto the hard surface, blades still swirling. Steve tumbled out of the way of the helicopter crushing him, as well as the main rotor blade threatening to cut him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and his ears picked up the faint sound of the rear rotor blade creeping up on him, giving him just a fraction of the second to duck his head and avoiding a fatal injury.

He panted and slowly inched his body up, his heartbeat still deafening in his ears, the rush of adrenaline not fading for even a second. His gaze turned upon the shattered windshield of the helicopter, and before he could tell what was happening, Bucky's metal arm broke through the glass and gripped Steve's neck in a vice like grip. Steve grit his teeth and stared into the cold dead eyes of his best friend, murderous intent swimming through them. His ears once again picked up a faint sound, and his blood ran cold. He heard the groaning of the helicopter as it stattered to teeter off the edge. He tried to pry Bucky's metal arm off of his neck, but the grip was constricting. Steve soon felt the vehicle creeping even more dangerously close to the edge, until suddenly he felt his feet lift off the ground, and saw himself plummeting towards the water below them.

The grip around his neck loosened as Bucky's head slammed against the remains of the windshield, knocking him unconscious. Steve felt the cold shock of the water wrapping around his body, and he was paralyzed with fear. His eyes scanned the area around him, his chest tight with dread as his nightmare flashed briefly inside his mind. Familiar colors of red and gold were dancing along the surface of the waters, trying desperately to reach out for him. Steve blinked and the colors were gone, the blinding light of the sun flickering across the glassy surface replacing the hues of red and gold. He regained his focus and located the descending helicopter and quickly swam over. He grabbed Bucky out through the windshield and started to swim upwards, breaking the surface of the water and taking in a gasp of air. He holds onto Bucky tight as he swims to the shore, tossing him onto the ground and getting up out of the water shortly after. He sighs heavily to himself and casts a sideways glance at his unconscious friend, wondering to himself, just what is he going to do to make this situation better?

* * *

"He really did a number on you genius." Natasha said, giving him a once over. Tony rolled his eyes and massaged his chest, favoring his left side.

"Yea, well, what can you do when your boyfriend's psycho best friend has a metal arm and just wails on you with it-ow! Stop touching it!" He raised his voice slightly, swatting away her prodding finger poking at his blacked right eye. "My arm feels numb, is that normal?" He exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in, his shoulder slumping in defeat.

"What did Ross say?"

"He wanted to get Special Ops involved; said if he had to he'd kill Steve."

"And then?"

"I told him that it was a stupid idea, you can't solve this with bullets." He sighed long and heavy before casting a glance at her, noticing her lips casted into a thin white line, waiting for him to continue. "He gave me thirty six hours to bring them back, Steve, Barnes, and Wilson."

"You know we're seriously understaffed for that, right?" She raised her eyebrows. He nodded his head in agreement.

"Could really use a Hulk right about now. Any shot?"

She sighed and shook her head, a small shrug of her shoulders following afterwards. "You really think he'd be on our side?"

He sighed heavily again and shook his head. "No, not really." They stood there in silence, contemplating their options, until an idea sprung up inside their head, Natasha being the first to speak.

"I've got an idea."

"Me too. Where's yours?"

"Downstairs. Where's yours?" She noticed the way Tony's lips curved upwards into a genuine smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Stark phone, punching in numbers on the dial pad before bringing it to his ear, and waiting for the sound of a familiar voice to pierce his eardrums.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Peter! It's Tony."

"Mr. Stark! It's nice to-"

"Yea, listen kid. I have a question to ask you. Have you ever been to Germany?"

* * *

He stared out between the crevices of the a jar door, listening and watching the search helicopters circle the air above him.

'_How did it come to this?'_ Steve thought to himself. He was branded a traitor once, when S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated by Hydra, and now, once again, he was branded a traitor by the government, and possible even worse, his own boyfriend.

"Hey, Cap!" He heard his name being called and turned away from the door to jog over to Sam. When he met up with him, he noticed Bucky, who's metal arm was clamped down tightly in a huge industrial vice, starting to wake up. His head slowly rose and he locked his eyes with Steve, a crease in between his eyebrows forming as he continued to stare.

"Steve?"

"Which Bucky am I talking to?"

"Your mom's name was Sarah," he paused for a moment, his lips curving upwards slightly, breaking into a small smile, "and you used to wear newspaper in your shoes." He chuckled softly to himself rather than out loud."

"Can't read that in a museum," Steve said, mimicking a small smile on his face.

"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" Sam said skeptically.

"Oh God, I knew this would happen," Bucky started, holding his head down in shame, "Everything Hydra put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words."

"Who was he?"

Buck sighed heavily, "I don't know."

"People are dead," Steve said grimly, "The bombing, the setup. The doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than "I don't know.""

Bucky stared at him for a few minutes, taking in the words before sighing once more and speaking. "He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where."

A crease between Steve's eyebrows formed, and he asked, "why would he need to know that?" He noticed the way Bucky paused, his eyes glassy and out of focus in thought. He took a quick intake of breath and said,

"I'm not the only Winter Soldier."

Steve's blood ran cold, his head trying to wrap around the words spoken from Bucky's mouth. It was hard enough for Steve and the rest of the Avenger to subdue Bucky, but how many more of them are there? It was a scary thought to think about, but Steve had to know.

"How many of them are there?"

"There's five of them in total," Bucky began, "I remember them sending me on a mission, I didn't know the names of the people I was sent to kill, but I just knew I had to complete my mission. I was following this car, shot out the tires and then ended up punching this guy to death, and before that I remember him saying "please help my wife." Then I remember the name Howard, and then after that I retrieved the super soldier serum from the back of the car."

Steve visibly stiffened, a lump forming in his throat, words caught in his mouth as he tried to find the words to express how he felt. He thought he was the only one, with the exception of Bucky who shared some of his super soldier like qualities, but upon hearing Howard Stark had created more super soldier serums, he was at a crossroad.

"Howard Stark… Made more super soldier serum?" Steve spoke softly. Bucky nodded his head, his gaze fixated on Steve. Steve's eyes were clouded in judgement, he could be upset at this moment, but would that change anything from the past? Would being mad really change the situation they were in. There were more pressing matters at hand, not only did they need to clear Bucky's name, but they needed to stop the rest of the winter soldiers.

"We need to stop the doctor from controlling them." Steve blurted.

"Woah," Sam said abruptly, "I'm all aboard stopping this dude, but we're a little outnumbered don't you think?" Steve sighed and nodded his head, biting his lip as he tried to think. "You know this would've been easier weeks ago."

"If we could call Tony…" Steve said softly.

"He wouldn't believe us."

"Even if he did…"

"Who knows if the accords will let him." Steve sighed once more, a frown edged into his face.

"I guess we really are on our own."

"Maybe not," Sam said suddenly, causing Steve to look at him in confusion, "I know a guy."

* * *

In an empty parking lot, Steve, Bucky and Sam were situated in an old battered looking car, waiting for Agent Barton to arrive. Clint was retired, but Steve had called him because he was in dire need of help. Steve stared out the windshield of the car, eyes unfocused. He was lost in thought, wondering just how upset everyone is, but also if he could really pull this off.

"Hey man," he was broken out of his trance-like state by Sam, "something on your mind?"

"Yea, just thinking about Tony and the other's." He sighed heavily and let his head rest back, he felt tense, like his body was being squeezed tightly in a vice like grip. "Situations really bad, just hoping he can forgive me."

"Look, I'm sure everything will be fine. I might not have been around as long when you two started this whole dating thing, but you two care about each other. You'll work this out in the end."

"Wait…" Bucky said from the backseat, causing the two to turn their heads slightly towards him, "Steve's in a relationship with that guy?" Steve chuckled a bit, a small smile forming as he nodded his head. "Well, I'm surprised that you found someone to take care of your punk ass."

"Still the same old jerk, aren't you Buck." Steve's smile widened, then his gaze turned back towards the front as a van pulled up in the empty parking stall next to them. "That's them," he said and got out of the car, leaving Bucky and Sam in the vehicle as he made his way over. As he made his way over, he saw Clint step out of the vehicle, and the sliding door to the van opened as well, revealing Wanda, and someone else he hasn't ever seen before.

"Thanks for having my back."

"Hey man, you're doing me a favor. Besides, I owe a debt." Clint said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. Wanda appeared at his side a few seconds later, a smile on her face as well.

"And it was time I got off my ass."

"What about our new recruit?" Steve asked, looking into the open van door behind them. Clint turned around and saw the new recruit coming out of the van, scratching his head and stretching as his feet touched the ground.

"He's rarin to go. Had to put a little bit of coffee in him, but… He should be good."

"What timezone are we in?" The guy says. He stops for a second and his eyes widen, looking straight at Steve. "Oh my god, you're Captain America! It's nice to meet you!" He goes over to Steve and he holds out his hand. Steve kindly extends his hand and shakes the others.

"Mr. Lang," He said politely.

"You know who I am?"

"My buddy Sam told me about you, says you got some moves."

"Falcon talked about me?!"

"Yea Scott," Sam said, coming over to stand next to Steve with Bucky, "told em all about you." Scott's smile widened more, it was like he was a little kid meeting all of the superheroes in a comic book. Steve noticed that Scott was still shaking his hand, Scott noticed too and he let go abruptly and apologized shortly after, Steve letting out a small chuckle in response.

"They tell you what we're up against?" Steve asked.

"Something about some . . . psycho-assassins?"

"We're outside the law on this one," Steve warned, "so, if you come with us, you're a wanted man."

"Yeah, well, what else is new?"

"We should get going." Said Bucky.

"Got a chopper lined up." Clint told them. A voice was suddenly heard in the distance, resonating all around the empty airport parking lot. It wasn't a language most of them were familiar with, all except for Bucky.

"They're evacuating the airport." Sam and Steve looked at each other, a hint of worry upon their faces.

"Stark." Sam said, as if he knew that was the immediate answer as to _why_ the airport was being evacuated.

"Stark?" Scott questioned. Steve sighed heavily, nodding his head as he knew his options were null and void. There was no reasoning with Tony, but he knew that he could try. He also knew that Tony was trying to do the right thing. He walked back over to the old battered car towards the trunk area, popping it open. Inside were his valuables, along with Sam's; the Captain America suit and shield, and the Falcon wings, along with all of it's useful tools. He stared at them for a moment before looking back at the rest of his small team of Avengers and Bucky, his mind set on what he had to do. He would face the consequences of whatever would happen later, but right now, time is of the essence.

"Suit up."

* * *

His footsteps were loud in his own ears, thundering across the ground as he slowly strode through an underpass, his heart was hammering in his chest, trying to compete with the sounds of his own footsteps. He broke into a jog as he saw the chopper, his footsteps becoming louder each time they made contact with the ground, his pulse racing as he got closer. He suddenly stopped as an electro-disabler slammed into the chopper, rendering it useless. He looks up, and the familiar colors of red and gold, accompanied by pure silver descended from the sky and touched down to the ground. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared at Tony and Rhodey.

"Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?" Tony said, his question aimed more towards Rhodey than at Steve.

"Definitely weird."

"Hear me out, Tony," Steve started, "that doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this."

"Captain," he heard his name being called. He turned his head to the right and saw T'Challa, in his black panther suit, leaping over a truck before his feet touched down the ground, joining Tony and Rhodey in cornering him.

"Your Highness." He replied politely.

"Look, Ross gave me 36 hours to turn you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can just… Help me out here?" Tony pleaded.

"You're after the wrong guy." Steve noticed Tony's patience slowly whittling, his eyebrows lowered a bit in the way Steve knew he was slowly starting to get upset.

"Your judgment is askew," Tony said, a hint of anger laced in his voice, "your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday."

"And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't."

"Steve," he turned around at the familiar voice of Natasha, her greyish green eyes staring at her, posture straight as she spoke, "you know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?" He turned away from her and looked back towards his lover. Blue orbs stared into brown ones, unspoken words hanging in the air between them. Steve felt his skin crawl, wanting to go over there and just end this, wanting to go back to normal before everything was blown out of control. But, if the situation were different, Bucky would do the same for him, so he had to fight. As they continued to stare, it was Tony who broke eye contact first.

"Alright," he said, averting his eyes from Steve, "I've run out of patience. Underoos!" Steve felt his shield being taken out of his grasp, noticing a sticky adhesive attached to it. Before he could react, his hands were bound together with the same adhesive that took his shield. When he looked at the culprit, he noticed that the person was more on the younger side, and wore a red and blue spandex suit, probably made out of the same material as Natasha's outfit.

"So, you must be Spider-Man, right?" Steve said.

"Oh my gosh, wait, you know how I am!? I-I can't believe this, Cap… Captain, I'm a huge fan of yours and-"

"Alright, we don't… We don't need to have a conversation here." Tony interrupted him.

"Oh… Right."

"You've been busy." Steve smiled, his statement directed towards Tony.

"And you've been a complete idiot." The sentence struck a chord within Steve, and the smile slowly faded from his face. He knew Tony was right somewhere, but deep down it still hurt to know that things got this far, and it was going to end up in a fight. Tony swallowed the lump in his throat as he noticed Steve's facial expression become stoic. "You dragged in Clint, rescued Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep," he paused as his voice got louder, trying not to yell at Steve, for some reason it hurt to yell at Steve, so he calmed down a bit before continuing. "I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."

Steve stared at Tony, any and all emotion in Steve's eyes were unreadable to Tony, and he didn't know exactly what he was feeling right now. Steve on the other hand, felt his chest ache in despair at Tony's words, but before he knew what he was saying, the words already flew out of his mouth. "You did that when you signed."

Tony's facial expression mimicked the same stoic expression Steve carried, and it caused the ache in Steve's chest to increase. He knew he was hurting his lover, that at this moment there was no room for sorrys, no room for pleads of forgiveness. There was too much at stake.

"Alright, we're done," Tony's voice held a hint of anger, but his voice clearly expressed it as he started to yell, "you're gonna turn Barnes over, and you're gonna come with us. NOW! Because it's us! Or a bunch of J-SOC guys, with no compunction about being impolite." Tony noticed Steve looking to the side, as if he was contemplating his options. His eyes started to feel prickly, but he blinked as fast as he could while Steve wasn't looking. He wasn't about to focus on how whether or not Steve was really choosing between Barnes and his family. "Please, Steve… Just come home." He pleaded, and Steve looked back at him, unspoken words still lingering in the air between them. Just then, Steve raised his arms and Tony looked up, a small whizzing sound was heard in the air, and an arrow broke the adhesive holding Steve's hands together. Tony closed his helmet, looking back at the location the arrow came from. In a matter of a few seconds, Tony turned his head back over to where he heard a grunting sound coming from Peter, and saw another male figure just suddenly appear before his eyes next to Steve, shield in his hand.

"I believe this is yours, Captain America." Scott said, handing over the shield to Steve.

Tony rolled his eyes behind the helmet. "Oh, great. Alright, there's two on the parking deck. One of them's Maximoff, I'm gonna grab her. Rhodey, you want to take Cap?" He asked as he started to ascend into the air, analyzing the area, and noticing Clint and Wanda running.

"Got two in the terminal, Wilson and Barnes," Rhodey said as he ascended into the air as well.

"Barnes is mine!" T'Challa said, running off in the direction of the airport terminal.

"Hey, Mr. Stark, what should I do?" Peter asked, speaking into the comm device.

"What we discussed. Keep your distance. Web 'em up."

"Ok, copy that!"

As he took off into the air towards the terminal, Steve chased after T'Challa, hitting him with his shield and causing the nimble male to roll forward, allowing Steve to catch up to him and put an arm around his neck. He used his super soldier strength to flip T'Challa backwards, creating distance and time.

"Move, Captain. I won't ask a second time." Steve stood his ground, and T'Challa ran at him. He dodged and blocked every attack T'Challa threw at him, but in the process, he earned some scratch marks on his shield.

On the other side of the airport slightly away from the terminal, Tony is following Clint and Wanda as they run away. He activates the rockets on his shoulder pads, and they fly in directions around Clint and Wanda, not aimed directly at them since he didn't want to hurt, or possibly worse, kill them. As Wanda and Clint stumbled, he hovered above the ground and held out his left hand at them, a repulsor blast ready.

"Wanda I think you hurt Vision's feelings." Tony teased.

"You locked me in my room." She said, out of spite.

"Okay. First, that's an exaggeration. Second, I did it to protect you. Hey, Clint."

"Hey, man." Clint said softly, his bow and arrow held in his hands at the ready.

"Clearly, retirement doesn't suit you. You got tired of shooting golf?"

"Well, I played 18, I shot 18," he paused for a moment as he noticed a familiar red mist coming off just faintly from Wanda, "just can't seem to miss." He raised his bow and arrow and fired a shot at Tony, who deflected them with his repulsor blast.

"Guess there's a first for everything."

Clint smiled in response. "Made you look." Suddenly a car came barreling down towards Tony, hitting him straight on, teetering his flight. Wanda moved her hands, reeling down cars from the empty parking lot on top of Tony until he was buried completely under them.

Tony groaned and tried to move, but the weight of the cars left him a little dazed in confusion. "Multiple contusions detected." Friday said.

"Yea, I detected them too…"

Steve effectively got T'Challa off of him, keeping him away from the terminal, and shortly after had to deal with Rhodey and his super charged mace, who he always was able to fend off.

"Hey, Cap," he turned and saw Scott running towards him, "heads up!" He was thrown a miniaturized truck and stared at it, wondering what he was supposed to do with it. "Throw it at this." Scott held up a blue disk as he spoke. "Now!" As Scott threw the small disk into the air, Steve threw the truck at the disk, and unexpectedly, the truck expanded in size and came crashing down onto the ground, hitting Rhodey in the process. "Oh, man. I thought it was a water truck. Uh . . . sorry." Scott and Steve break into a full on sprint. As they run, Clint and Wanda join up with them, running alongside them. Shortly after, Steve motions over for Sam and Bucky to join them, and they all break into a sprint towards the Quinjet.

As they continued their trek towards the Quinjet in the hanger, a beam of energy shot out from the sky, creating a line in the ground. They looked up and saw Vision, floating in the air above them and staring down at them.

"Captain Rogers. I know you believe what you're doing is right. But for the collective good you must surrender now." As he finished speaking, Tony and the rest of the Avengers who were on his team joined him.

Steve and Tony stared at each other, stoic expressions on their face, but hearts full of dread. Tony's mind was clouded with anger, fearing that the reason for all of this was that he simply chose Bucky over his family; that the deep reason behind all of this was that he chose Bucky over _him._ Steve wished things could have been different, that Tony would listen to reason as to why he was doing what he was doing, but he also wishes that he didn't resort to breaking the law; helping a criminal, in the eyes of the world, but Bucky was his best friend, and when he needed help, Steve would always be there.

"What do we do, Cap?" Same asked, breaking him out of his trance.

"We fight." He replied, and started to tread forward slowly.

"This is gonna end well." Natasha said from the other side next to Tony. As he started to move forward, so did the rest of the Avengers on his side. The two sides eventually broke out into a sprint, and as they met in the middle, the fighting broke out.

The airport was a battlefield, a historical moment for the Avengers that shaped them entirely. It wasn't a matter of life and death, it was more about who was right, and who was wrong. It was team Iron Man versus team Cap, and the reason everything got this far, was not just because of Bucky being framed for a crime he didn't commit, but because of the Sokovia Accords. It was a way to divide the Avengers, to force them to choose a side; a side where they themselves would have to give up their own free will to become mere servants to the government in a way.

Steve never thought of himself being in this situation before, fighting against the people he called family. He's always been one to obey the law, the good old Captain himself was stuck in his old school ways, raised with dignity, and honor, the bright emblem of America. Now, he was a traitor, a fugitive thanks to his actions, but somewhere deep down, he knew he was doing the right thing in a way, but he never really wanted to hurt anybody.

Steve looked up and saw Peter flying through the air towards him, web attached to one of the airplane wings. He threw his shield to cut the thin webbing, causing Peter to fall from the sky, but thanks to his agility, he was able to safely land on a cargo strip.

"That thing does not obey the law of physics at all," Peter said as he watched Steve shield come back to him.

"Look kid. There's a lot going on here that you don't understand." Steve warned.

"Mr. Stark said you'd say that. Wow." Peter threw out his hand and the sticky adhesive shot from his wrist towards Steve. He used his shield to block it, but then another pair of webbing was shot at his leg and he found his back hitting the floor. He was being pulled towards better, sliding across the floor towards Peter. Peter kicks him backwards, and Steve's back collides against a truck, falling to the floor shortly after as Peter rolls clear.

"He also said to go for your legs." Steve picks himself up and runs towards his shield, as his fingers are within close proximity to grip the vibranium shield once more, his hands becoming encased in spider webbing. Peter pulls with all his might to keep Steve from grabbing his shield. Steve grits his teeth as he fights back with his super strength, but he gets an idea as he looks towards Peter. He drops his hands in a fraction of a second, throwing Peter off balance, and then he spins and somersaults in the air, wrapping the thin web around his body, and throwing Peter in the air, landing in front of him. As he breaks the webbing, another shot of webbing is launched at him. He blocked it with his shield, and before Peter could react, he grabbed the webbing off his shield, holding it tight in his palm and yanked forward, sweeping Peter off his feet toward him, backhanding him with his shield when he got close enough.

Peter is quick to recover, getting up on his feet and then using his webbing to pull himself on top of a gangway. Steve looked up at him, slightly impressed at the kids ability. "Stark tell you anything else?"

"That you're wrong. That you think you're right." Peter spoke slow, and Steve took in every word to heart as he spoke. "That makes you dangerous." He backflips off the gangway and uses his webbing to propel himself forward. He shoots a small web towards Steve, who turns just in time to dodge it, and then delivers a back kick that sends Peter's back crashing into the gangway's legs, denting them a little bit.

"Guess he had a point." As Peter gets back up onto his feet, Steve throws his shield into the legs of the gangway, causing it to fall on top of Peter, who struggles to barely hold it up with his super strength. "You got heart kid, where you from?"

"Queens." Peter weakly replied, his legs and arms wobbling under the pressure of the gangway. Steve smiles and chuckles under his breath, not out of cockiness, but it's pretty ironic that someone else who was relatively similar to him at such a young age, was a few miles away from his hometown.

"Brooklyn." Was the last thing he said before he jogged away and left Peter to hold up the gangway.

Steve got a few feet towards the nearest plane before Bucky met up with him, panting as he was worn out from fighting. "We gotta go. That guy's probably in Siberia by now." Steve knew he was right and nodded his head, surveying the carnage of the once peaceful airport.

"We gotta draw out the flyers. I'll take Vision. You get to the jet."

"No, you get to the jet! Both of you!" Sam's voice said in the comm device in his ear. "The rest of us aren't getting out of here."

"As much as I hate to admit it, if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it." Clint voiced his opinion.

"This isn't the real fight, Steve."

Bucky and Steve looked at each other, and while the words were unspoken between them, they knew that they were both right. "Alright, Sam, what's the play?"

"We need a diversion, something big."

"I got something kind of big, but I can't hold it very long," Scotts voice rang in their ears. "On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half . . . don't come back for me."

Bucky shook his head and his eyebrows were scrunched, a crease forming between them as he looked vastly confused. "He's gonna tear himself in half?"

"You sure about this Scott?" Steve asked.

"I do it all the time. I mean once . . . in a lab. Then I passed out." Steve and Bucky waited for the signal so they could make a run for the Quinjet. Unexpectedly, the signal came in the form of Scott turning into a giant version of himself, creating a very effective distraction.

"I guess that's the signal," Steve said before he and Bucky broke off into a sprint towards the Quinjet. Scott was doing an excellent job at creating a very good distraction, giving Steve and Bucky enough time to get closer and closer towards the location. However, Vision was the first to spot them after he used his body to teeter Scott into leaning against a plane. He phased through Scotts body, and reappeared through the other side. He charged and shot a beam from the mind stone at a control tower, causing it to topple over and plummet towards the earth as a way to block Steve and Bucky from escaping.

A familiar red mist encompassed the building, and when Steve looked back, he saw Wanda trying her best to hold the building up with her powers, gritting her teeth as the strain from the amount of pressure the building held was putting immense pressure on her as well. Rhodey spotted Wanda holding up the building, and he swapped the repulsor blast in his gauntlet to a high frequency sound wave. He aimed it at her and the blast engulfed her body, causing her to lose control of her power and cover her ears, yelling in pain as the sound frequency was too loud.

The building started to fall once again. Steve and Bucky ran as fast as they could, just barely making it as the building crashed towards the earth and blocked off anybody else from coming into the hangar. As they entered the hangar and kept running, they came to an abrupt halt in front of a red headed female Steve was familiar with.

"You're not gonna stop." Natasha stated, it wasn't really a question that needed asking, since she already knew her answer.

"You know I can't." Steve said. He was able to notice through her stoic expression that she was contemplating something deep, the Black Widow was always mysterious in her emotions, never letting anybody know how she truly felt, or what she was thinking, but as Steve looked into her greyish green eyes, he saw conviction.

"I'm gonna regret this." She held up her arm, her widow bites lighting up in a bright blue light, ready to strike. She launched one, but instead of it being aimed at either of them, it flew right past them and it striked T'Challa, who managed to somehow make it into the hangar, instead.

"Go." The soft spoken words were the only ones to leave her mouth as she kept her widow bites pointed at T'Challa. Steve and Bucky wasted no time in going past her and onto the Quinjet. As T'Challa got up again to try and stop them, she fired another widow bite, electrocuting him and staggering his advance.

Behind her she heard the engines roar to life, and the guns from the Quinjet firing at the rubble in front of her. Her hand never lowered itself, making sure that T'Challa wasn't able to climb onto the Quinjet and stop them. She was putting herself on the line for what she was doing, but if she was honest with herself, she was fighting for the wrong side this entire time, and there was more to the truth than what was being presented. She fired once more, staggering his advance for the third time, but T'Challa was still determined to stop them. He ran past her and tried to hold onto the tire of the Quinjet as it was being retracted into the vehicle, but he lost his grip and fell, Steve and Bucky taking off into the sky shortly after. T'Challa slowly stood and looked at Natasha, she kept her stoic expression up as she stared back at him, and gave him a simple response.

"I said I'd help you find him, not catch him. There's a difference." A small tug at the corner of her mouth indicated that she wanted to express a small smile, but instead, she settled for a little shrug of her shoulder instead, as she heard the engine of the Quinjet fade into the distance.

Back outside Tony and his team had successfully taken down the large skyscraper like Ant Man, Scott Lang, all thanks to Peter's pop culture reference of a movie where they ended up knocking the giant down by wrapping something around their legs, and then pushing them, causing them to fall on their back. Needless to say that is what they did, and Scott shrunk back down to his normal humanized stature, dazed and confused, but also strangely craving orange slices.

Tony looks around after the distraction has been dealt with, trying to look for Peter. His eyes survey the area, and he finally notices the limp body of the teenager off to the side on the ground, unmoving. He flies over towards him, and retracts his helmet as he touches down on the ground. He moves over towards Peter with urgency, turning him over to get a better look at whether or not he's majorly hurt. The mask is lifted up slightly enough that he can see part of Peter's face, and he's a little relieved he sees no injuries. Suddenly Peter opens his eyes and jumps, causing Tony to jump a little in surprise. He catches the fists Peter threw his way and proceeds to calm him down since he's not exactly realizing where he is, or who he's with.

"Alright, you're done. You did a good job. Stay down." Tony told him, once he calmed down.

"Mr. Stark? No, I can keep going, I gotta-"

"No, you're done! You're gonna go home or I'm gonna call Aunt May." He looked at Peter sternly, eyes like daggers staring right at him. Peter nodded his head and laid back on the ground, catching his breath. Tony stood back up and heard the sound of the Quinjet over his head. He looked and saw the vehicle racing through the sky, followed by Rhodey right behind it. He sighed angrily and closed his helmet once more and took off into the sky, following the Quinjet. What Tony and Rhodey didn't know was that Sam was trailing behind them, trying to get them off of Steve and Bucky's trail. The Quinjet accelerated in speed as Steve pushed forward on the thrusters, and Sam tried to distract Rhodey by shooting explosive missiles in his general area to teeter his flight. Rhodey called in Vision, who was back at the airport caring for Wanda, saying he needed him to shoot down Sam out of the sky, to target his thrusters in order to turn him into a glider. Vision charged a beam upwards at Sam's thrusters, zoning it at high velocity. Sam looked back and saw the beam coming straight for him, and retracted the red wings and tumbled in the air, causing the beam to hit the power source of Rhodey's suit, darkening the interior of the suit, and causing Rhodey to free fall towards the earth.

Tony and Sam plummeted down towards Rhodey, desperately trying to reach him time before he touched the ground. However they were unsuccessful in their attempt as Rhodey hit the ground with a loud thud. Tony was the first to land, his heart hammering in his chest, feet heavy as he trudged over and knelt down to rip the face mask off of Rhodey. His eyes were closed, and a small patch of blood came out of his nose. Tony felt the world around him go silent as he held his best friend in his arms.

"Read vitals." He said softly.

"Heartbeat detected. Emergency medical is on it's way." Friday informed him. He let out a sigh of relief, but he was still on edge, staring down at Rhodey, chest throbbing in pain at witnessing his best friend plummet to the ground, and not being able to save him. He heard Sam settle a few feet away from him, but he didn't bother looking up, he was too focused on his best friend.

"I'm sorry." Sam said. It made Tony blood boil, anger coursing through him. He shot a repulsor blast at Sam and knocked him back, flat on the ground. He knelt there, arms around Rhodey as he held him until the medical team arrived, Vision as well showing up next to Tony a few minutes later. No words were spoken between them, but it was clear as day to Tony, that the Avengers were falling apart.

* * *

Vision looked on with a grave face at Rhodey, who lied inside of the CT- Scanner. Tony, for the most part, was stoic, as he wasn't sure what to say, or whether he was angry at himself, or at anybody else. It eluded him how Vision had missed that shot, he still had JARVIS's intelligence after all, so it was weird to him how he could miscalculate. The words were on the tip of his tongue, itching for a way out of his mouth, and when he couldn't hold it in anymore, he asked,

"How did this happen?"

"I became distracted." The soft reply came from Vision.

"I didn't think that was possible."

"Neither did I." Tony stayed in the room for a few more minutes before he walked away, heart breaking with every second he was in the room. He entered the hallway just outside the door, and as he turned his head, he saw a concerned Natasha. He stared at her for a few minutes before motioning with his head for her to follow. Their footsteps echoed along the walls of the hospital before they found themselves on a balcony, looking out at a row of trees.

"The doctors say he shattered L4 through S1. Extreme laceration in the spinal cord. Probably looking at some form of paralysis." He explained gravely. He waited for her to respond, the silence stretching out over them before he heard her exhale a long breathe she had been holding before speaking.

"Steve's not gonna stop. If you don't either, Rhodey's gonna be the best case scenario."

"You let them go, Nat." She looked at him with a hardened expression, he eyebrows low, her lips curved downwards into a small frown. He wasn't angry at her persay, he was more along the lines of disappointment. He thought he could trust her, but what did he really expect from a spy?

"We played this wrong." He chuckled a little and shook his head, disbelief flashing across his face for a fraction of a second as he looked at her.

"Boy, it must be hard to shake the whole double agent thing huh? It sticks in the DNA."

"Are you incapable of letting go of your ego for one goddamn second?" Her voice rose a little, anger visibly flashing across her face. He knew he struck a chord within her, giving her past history, but he was upset, too. It stung more than he could imagine, with the thought of his boyfriend choosing to help his best friend, and possibly something much worse, he never expected her of all people to betray him. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, looking back towards the rows of trees.

"It's kinda funny to me, really, that Fury said I needed a bodyguard to make sure I was safe. And yet, here I am now, fighting against the guy who was supposed to protect me, just to run off with his best friend, and leave me in the dust. Some bodyguard he is huh?"

"You know by now as well as I do, that this job means nothing to Steve. It started off as a job, but then it started to be about protecting you because he loves you." His grip on the bar tightened as she spoke, his mind blocking out all reason. He was hurt, and he couldn't help but be reminded that the only reason Steve stayed in his life, was because he was _assigned_ to be there.

"T'Challa told Ross what you did, so… They're coming for you." He shrugged again and didn't bother to look her in the eyes, he could already feel the piercing gaze of anger and annoyance written in her eyes and splayed across her face.

"I'm not the one who needs to watch my back." She turned her body away from him and started to walk away, leaving him there to think for himself. Suddenly his watch beeped and he looked down, noticing a weird image portrayed on the surface. He tapped the screen and the image enlarged itself. It was an image of some guy who was dead in a tub.

"What am I looking at, Friday?"

"Priority upload from the Berlin Police." Tony's eyes continued to stare at the screen, taking in the gruesome scene.

"Fire up the chopper."

* * *

Tony flies over a stormy sea, raindrops pelting the exterior of the chopper. Tony goes over the images once more with Friday, explaining to him what the images entailed.

"The Task Force called for a psychiatrist as soon as Barnes was captured. The UN dispatched Dr. Theo Broussard from Geneva within the hour. He was met by this man." Friday zoomed in on the other man's face, giving Tony a clear picture of him.

"Did you run facial recognition?"

"What do I look like?" He gave a small smile at his AI's sarcasm.

"The fake doctor is actually Colonel Helmut Zemo, Sokovian Intelligence," Tony rolls his eyes and holds the small computer tablet in the air, and then projects the image in the air, "Zemo ran Echo Skorpion, a Sokovian covert kill squad." The images kept popping up more frequently as Friday continued to give him information on this man, Tony's eyes glazing over each image respectively.

"So, what happened to the real Brussard?"

"He was found dead in a Berlin hotel room. Where police also found a wig and facial prosthesis approximating the appearance of one James Buchanan Barnes." Tony's blood ran cold and he swallowed the lump in his throat. All this time, all this unnecessary fighting, all the carnage and destruction that they caused, in the end it really wasn't Barnes who killed all those people, he really was framed.

"Send this to Ross," Tony croaked out. He continues to drive the chopper with a touch screen computer in a wall panel through the stormy broiling sea. The wave continued to crash into each violently, water splashing to and fro. As Tony continued to fly over the surface of the water, the wave started to crash against each other less violently, as something was beginning to rise and breach the dark ocean's surface. A huge metal floating object appeared up from the ocean's depths, and Tony descended into the opening of the top that was cleared for him.

When the chopper touched down and finally landed, Tony was greeted by Secretary Ross standing just a few feet away from where he landed. He sighed to himself and grabbed his sling, clipping it and putting his left arm inside, wincing in pain as the joints throbbed. He stepped out of the chopper and walked straight over to Ross, stopping a few feet in front of him.

"So? You got the files? Let's reroute the satellites, start facial scanning for this Zemo guy." Ross scoffed at him.

"You seriously think I'm gonna listen to you after that fiasco in Leipzig? You're lucky you're not in one of these cells." Tony watched the back of Ross's head as he walked away. He followed behind him shortly after through a steel security door. All around him there were soldiers standing guard in the operation room. He saw the room littered with screens showing an image of the prisoners locked away within their cells. He stopped walking as his eyes landed on a surveillance screen of Wanda, who was sitting hunched and bedraggled in a cramped prison room. Her eyes lost their glow, dead eyes staring at the camera inside the room, hands bound inside of a straight jacket. Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and continued his walk forward.

Another security door opened, leading to the holding cells of the fugitive Avengers. Tony walked towards the center and looked around, his nerves nestling itself in the pit of his stomach. He heard the distinct sound of clapping, and then a voice shouting out loud for everyone to hear.

"The futurist, gentleman! The futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you whether you like it or not." He turned and saw the voice belonged to Clint. He walked on over and stopped at the cell door, taking in the cuts and bruises on his face, and the defeated posture as he knelt down close to the bed.

"Give me a break, Barton. I had no idea they'd put you here." He said truthfully.

"Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony." There was an edge to Clint's voice that Tony picked up, like he was holding back anger.

"Yes, but not some super-max ocean floaty pokey. This place is for maniacs. This place is for…" He trailed off.

"Criminals," Clint finished for him, getting to his feet and closer to the cell door, looking at Tony between the bars, "Criminals, Tony. I think that's the word you're looking for. That didn't used to mean me. Or Sam. Or Wanda."

"That's because you broke the law." Clint turned his back to Tony, intent on blocking him out. "You know, I don't get it. You're all grown up, you have a family and kids. Why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side." Clint turned back to face him and a flash of anger flickered across his face. Tony took the time to walk away from the cell door, making his way down the line as he heard Clint say,

"You gotta watch your back with this guy. There's a chance he's gonna break it."

As he walked down the row he came past Scotts cell door, hearing the man behind the glass and steel bars say, "Hank Pym always said, "you never can trust a Stark."" Tony stopped his advance to narrow his eyes and look at Scott, shaking his head at him.

"Who are you?" He turned his head away and proceeded to the final cell door next to Scotts. His footsteps came to a halt in front of Sam's cell door, the man having his back turned to him, arms crossed.

"How's Rhodes?" Sam asked.

"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow. So . . . fingers cross." Sam shook his head and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Tony bit his lips a little bit, the bundle of nerves and knots in his stomach kicking him violently. "What do you need? They feed you yet?" Sam turned around slowly and Tony saw the bruise on the left side of his face, as well as the surprised expression on his face.

"You're the good cop now?"

"I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went."

"You're gonna have to do a lot better than that for me to tell you where Steve went. And why would I even help you?" Tony sighed and tapped his watch, first cutting off the audio inside the cell room so Ross can't hear them talk, and second, he pulled up pictures of the doctor who was supposed to talk to Bucky.

"We have 30 seconds before they realize their audio isn't theirs, and this man," he pointed at the image displayed in his watch, "was the doctor who was originally supposed to talk to Barnes. He was found dead, and Steve was right. Barnes was framed… I was wrong."

"Well that's a first."

"Please…" Tony pleaded, "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to Steve when he returns, and right now he needs all the help he can get." They looked at each other, Sam contemplating whether or not he was willing to tell Tony the info he knew. However, he knew the stakes were high, and Steve could definitely use all the help he could get.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But you have to go alone… And as a friend." Tony nodded his head in response and Sam told him all the information he knew. He told Tony about Siberia, where the other winter soldiers were. Tony swallower the lump in his throat, and stepped away from the cell, hurrying back towards the chopper.

"Stark! Did he tell you where Roger's went?" Ross yelled.

"No, he told me to go to hell and kiss his ass! I'm heading back to the compound, feel free to call me, I'll put you on hold." He looked back and Ross and smiled as he got into the chopper. "I love watching it blink." He closed the door and his smug smile stayed splayed on his face, even as the chopper flew off once more into the stormy night of the sea.

* * *

Tony unclipped the sling and put it off to the side. He favored his left arm, it still hurt after what happened in Leipzig. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, effectively calming his nerves. He stopped massaging his arm and then hovered his finger over a silver button. He pushed the button and the Iron Man suit started to cool and clamp around his body, and his seat started to recline back. Once the suit was fully operational, a hatch opened behind him and he dropped out of his chair and fell through. He activated his thrusters and made his way off to Siberia, hoping he wasn't too late in helping Steve.

His footsteps felt heavy in his own ears as he traversed the bunker, Bucky in tow behind him. It was ominously quiet, despite the fact the fake doctor had gotten here before them. He had to have gotten to the other Winter Soldiers by now, but Steve shook that thought from his head as he pressed forward. They trekked around the corridor, eyes open for any sign of any sound of suspicious activity, nerves on high alert. Bucky takes the lead, gun clocked at ready at the first sign of trouble. Bucky looks into an alcove, noticing nothing but junk and Steve pressed forward up a few flights of stairs. They stopped and turned around suddenly when they heard the sound of a loud thud. Steve held up his shield defensively, and Bucky helped up his gun. The creaking, and groaning of the double doors they came through resonated within their area as they were pulled apart. Steve's grip tightened on the handle of his shield, and Bucky's finger was ready to pull the trigger. As the door parted, he noticed the familiar bright blue hue and the colors of red and gold. Steve heart surged forward in his chest, happy to see Tony, but still cautious in case he was hereto capture them.

"I'm hurt babe, you seem a little defensive." Tony said, walking over to them and retracting his helmet. Steve stood up slowly and walked towards his, shield still covering his body while Bucky remained on the steps, finger still ghosting over the trigger.

"Sorry, honey. It's been a long day. Now why are you here?"

"At ease, Soldier. I'm not currently after you." Steve slowly started to lower his shield, a hint of trust that resided deep within him still remained. "Ross doesn't know I'm here and, well… Maybe your story's not so crazy after all. I'm sorry for not believing in you." He looked into Tony's eyes and saw how truly sorry he was. He smiled and reached out to wrap his arms around his lovers waist, pulling him in for a hug. He felt Tony wrap his arms around his neck and place his head on his shoulder, body relaxing as he missed the feeling of Steve against him.

"Ahem,"they heard Bucky say, pulling apart from each other to look at him, "as touching as this is, still got a mission to do." They looked at each other and nodded, making their way back up the stairs. With his faceplate and helmet reengaged, they walk along the corridor room until it straightens out; forwards being their only option left to go. As they walk, colors flash across Tony's face inside of the suit, indication that they aren't alone as they continue forward.

"I'm getting heat signatures."

"How many?" Steve asked. He blinked and squinted, making sure that what he was seeing was correct, and not that the Iron Man suit was malfunctioning.

"Uh… One." As they inched cautiously forward into the chamber, five lights turned on, followed by a hazy yellow mist emanating from five pods around them. They stepped forward slowly, footsteps echoing around the room as they stared in bewilderment.

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep," a disembodied voice rang out into the room. The hazy yellow mist thinned and revealed the sleeping Winter Soldiers, all with bullet holes in their heads. As they continued their advance, the voice continued to speak. "Did you really think I wanted more of you? I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here" A light flickers on and reveals the fake doctor, Zemo, in the control room behind an iron barricade, staring at them through the one glass window in the center. Steve hurled his shield at the glass, but it reflected back at him instead. "Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets."

"I'm betting I could beat it." Tony replied sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came."

"You've killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve questioned, his eyes staring at Zemo as he moved closer towards him. Zemo smiled at him as he locked eyes.

"I've studied you for over a year, even followed you. Now that you're standing just before I realize… That there's a bit of green in your blue eyes. How nice to find a flaw,"he smiled at Steve and continued speaking, "since you're so curious, I might as well tell you that I've lost someone. I've lost everyone, after you guys blew Sokovia to hell. And now, so will you." He hit a button inside the control room and tape was being played on a small television. Steve looks over at the screen and the muscles in his jaw tightened as he saw a familiar road on the screen. Tony walks over slowly, looking at the screen and noticing the date on the tape as December 16, 1991. His eyes rove, anxiously as memories are brought back to him.

"I know that road. What is this?"He yells at Zemo, who all but stays quiet and waits for them to watch the video.

Tony's eyes were glued to the screen, watching the entire tape play out before him. He watched a familiar car crashing into a tree, and an unfamiliar motorcycle fly past it. The vehicle and the person came back towards the car, just as Howard fell out from the car, face bloodied and body in pain, close to the ground. Steve watched Tony as his eyes were stuck to the screen, the light shining over his eyes and hitting the glossy unshed tears that were beginning to form.

Tony's heart started beating out of his chest, his hands clenching into fights, his blood boiling viciously inside of his body as he watched the face of Bucky flash before the camera. He continued to watch, seeing his father beg for him to help his wife, before his face was punched harshly by Bucky's metal hand, killing him. He watched as his father was placed back into the car, head against the steering wheel, his mother sitting there with her face covered in blood as she looked at her now dead husband. His hands were clenched so tight that they hurt, and his heart broke in two as he watched Bucky wrap his hand around his mother's throat and choke the last remaining bits of life she was clinging onto, straight out of her.

Steve watched as Tony fought back the tears that were threatening to spill, his own heart hurting as his lover saw the painful truth about what happened to his parents. He didn't dare to reach out and set him off, but he stayed close just in case. That was when Tony tried to strike at Bucky, Steve having just enough reaction time to hold him back. When Tony turned his head to look at Steve, he saw how red his eyes were, how glossy they'd become from the tears just itching to overflow and cascade down his face.

"Did you know?" He whispered so softly that it broke Steve heart to hear him so defeated, so lost in anguish and despair. He was supposed to protect him from this kind of stuff, but he didn't really do a good job in the long run.

"Baby, I didn't know it was him." Tony stared into Steve blue eyes, noticing how they weren't once the bright blue ones he fell oh so deeply in love with, but a more deeper, darker shade of blue, with a hint of green pulling in at the front. He knew he was lying.

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers" he spit with venom, gritting his teeth in anger a little bit before speaking again, "did you know?" Steve looked into his hurt eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat as he nodded his head.

"Yes." He replied back softly. Tony stepped back abruptly, and Steve never felt his heart drop or break faster than it did in that moment. To Tony, he looked like a kicked puppy, but he didn't care. He was full of anger and grief, that his blood just continued to boil until it reached its highest point.

He reengaged the helmet and punched Steve away, causing him to spiral off to the side. He then turned to Bucky as he held his gun up, deflecting the gunfire and then disarming him. He grabs Bucky and flies them across the room, slamming him onto the floor and then placing his armored boot onto his metal arm, holding a repulsor blast ready to fire at Bucky face. Steve gets to his feet and flings his shield at Tony, distracting him and teetering him slightly to shoot next to Bucky's head. Tony looks back and Steve barges forward, tackling him with his shield and sending him back. Tony stands his ground and then surges forward, tackling Steve with his shoulder, knocking him back a few feet. He shackled Steve ankles with electronically made cuffs and turned back to Bucky, but was met with a fist coming at him instead that made direct contact with his face. It doesn't affect him as much and he simply lifts Bucky into the air and slams him against a machine. He readies another repulsor blast in Bucky's face, but his metal arm starts to pull the gauntlet back, the strain causing the gauntlet's readied blast to power off.

He pulls back his hand and then readies a missile, but Bucky deflects that away and an explosion goes off, creating a fireball off to the side. Steve uses his shield to break the electromagnetic cuffs bounding his legs together and gets back to his feet as a towering work of pipe structures starts to fall around them. He leaps and rolls out of the way of the pipe, and Bucky and Tony fall from their suspension in the air; Tony landing a few feet away from them and under some of the pipes, and Bucky landing next to Steve. They get to their feet as fast as possible, looking at each other before Steve was the first to speak.

"Get out of here!" Bucky wastes no time in bolting out of the room. Tony gets back up onto his feet and flies over to where Barnes was running, firing a repulsor blast that ended up missing him completely. As Bucky gets the chance to hit a control panel that opens up the top of the bunker they're in, Steve lands in front of Tony, blocking his way.

"It wasn't him, Tony. Hydra has control of his mind."

"Move!" Tony activates the thrusters on his suit and starts to fly off towards Barnes past Steve, but the super soldier catches his left jet boot, holding him in place.

"It wasn't him!" He tried to reason with Tony. He started to use his shield to smash the jet boot in, and with success he broke it, small sparks flying off of the damaged piece of armor. He let go of Tony and he landed onto the ground, slowly turning back to face Steve. As Steve was running towards him, he shot a laser above their heads, dropping rubble between them and taking off once more.

He saw Bucky leaping from platform to platform as he tried to escape. Tony flew up into the air, but was only able to stabilize himself for a few minutes before he had to stop on a platform. The left boot was damaged pretty bad, but he had no time to try and fix the situation at the moment. He continued his ascent until he got to the same platform as Bucky, kicking him down and then aiming at him. As the shot fired, Steve appeared at the platform in front of Bucky, blocking the shot with his shield causing it to ricochet towards Tony, knocking him down a few platforms.

"He's not gonna stop. Go." Steve commands. Bucky nods his head and begins to climb platform after platform again. Tony gets back up and immediately starts to fly upwards again. Steve pulls out an object from his belt, securing his shield on his back, and jumping into the air as Tony passes him, shooting out a wire from the object which wraps itself around Tony's neck, pulling them back down until they both hit a few platforms below. Tony was the first to stand, preparing a missile aimed straight at Bucky. Unfortunately for Tony the targeting system of the suit was damaged, so instead he retracted the helmet and eyeballed the shot. He launched it perfectly at the gears holding the escape hatch open, causing a small explosion, and closing off Bucky's escape route. He flies back up towards Bucky after he fell, and immediately ducks as the other male wings at him with a piece of pipe. He was able to put Bucky in a headlock and kept him there.

"Do you ever remember them?" He whispered.

"I remember all of them." Bucky replied. Suddenly, Bucky jumps off the platform, causing them both to plummet downwards. Steve regains his footing as he sees them plummet, jumping towards them, angling their trajectory so that they hit one of the platforms, causing Bucky to safely land on it while Steve and Tony plummet to the ground below.

Steve and Tony hit the ground hard on their sides, Steve feeling the majority of the impact considering he wasn't in a suit of armor, and Tony barely feeling anything except small disorientation. Steve grit his teeth in pain, curling his hands into fists so hard his knuckles turned white. His breathing was labored, but he pushed himself to stand. He teetered slightly, hissing in pain and sucking in breath as he stood. He turned around and saw Tony standing there, looking at him intently.

"This isn't going to change what happened."

"I don't care," the words coming at Steve like daggers, full of hate and venom they stung deep within his skin, "he killed my mom." Tony propels himself forward at Steve and the two start to trade punches with each other. Tony ends up pinning Steve down and starts to deliver punch after punch at his face. Just then, Bucky jumps down with the Captain America shield in hand and brings it down on Tony's back, disorienting him and allowing Steve to get up. Bucky passed the shield quickly to Steve, and the two worked together, swapping the shield between each other and hitting weak spots in Tony's armor. As the shield swapped back to Steve, Tony immediately twisted his body in that direction, zapping Steve away towards a wall, his back colliding harshly with it, and bringing him to the ground.

With Steve incapacitated, Bucky was busy trading blows with Tony. An energy beam was released from Tony's left hand as Bucky blocked his hand. He struggled to direct it, putting as much strength as he could in his human arm before punching the center of Tony's Iron Man suit with his metal arm, pushing his back towards the wall. He rushed forward, pushing Tony's face away and gripping at the glowing core in his chest. Tony started to panic, fear gripping him for a fraction of a second before he shot out a beam of energy from the core. It knocked Bucky away, and took off a major portion of his left hand. Steve's eyes locked onto Bucky and Tony, and all he could see was red at the sight of his friend's metal arm being lost. As he was zapped off to the side, Steve rushed at Tony, shield raised and deflecting repulsor blasts with it. Steve rushed forward once more, pushing Tony against the wall. His fist connected with the helmet first, then he alternated between using his fist and the shield to damage the Iron Man suit. Red flashes of light were going off inside the suit as Steve continued his barrage on the genius.

"You can't beat him hand to hand." Friday warned him.

"Analyze his fight pattern." The suit was taking significant amounts of damage as the Steve fists and shield never ceased their assault, Friday analyzing every opening she could find as he attacked. As the shield was about to come into contact with the face plate again, Friday announced that countermeasures were ready, and his hand immediately reacted and grabbed the shield, shocking Steve in the process.

"Let's kick his ass." He said to himself. He knocks the shield out of Steve's hand and then zaps him, sending him flying head over heels. He surges forward and blocks the punch from Steve, bringing his arm back and delivering a fast, sharp elbow to his face, following up with an uppercut, and zapping him in his chest, bringing him to his knees. Steve felt his lungs were burning, constricting under the pressure of the zap aimed directly at his chest. He felt the blood trickle down the side of his face, but he ignored the pain and looked up into the metallic faceplate of the Iron Man suit.

"He's my friend." Something inside Tony snapped. He couldn't pinpoint the reason why because all he could do was stare down at his lover, eyes filled with hatred, a burning sensation welling up inside of him.

"So was I." He reeled back and delivered two sharp punches towards Steve's face once more, the second punch knocking him to the ground once more. He coughed a little bit, some blood spattering on the cold concrete floor. He was grabbed by the back of his uniform and threw towards the edge of the chamber, back bouncing off the concrete pillars. His body ached, muscles screaming and throbbing in despair, his head hanging just barely over the edge of the gap in the wall. He could feel the icy cold winds slapping across parts of his face as he lay there.

"Stay down. Final warning." He painfully moved his body into a kneeling position, gritting his teeth as his body protested against the action. He slowly rose to his feet, wobbling as he stood up right. He panted heavily, worn out from the fighting, staring down his lover as he raised his fist and wobbled a little more.

"I can do this all day." He panted out. Tony raised his hand up at Steve, repulsor at the ready, and then suddenly felt a hand grab his leg. He turned around and saw Bucky's hand on his leg, and he kicked him in the face to get him off. With the small distraction Steve rushed at Tony. He lifted him over his head, suspended in the air for a few moments before he was thrown down onto the ground. Steve quickly crawled over him and started to rapidly throw punches at the faceplate of the Iron Man suit once more. He then quickly reached over to grab his shield, raising it above his head and striking down on the faceplate twice, causing it to unhinge just enough for Steve to rip it off his face. He looked into the angry eyes of his lover, taking in the matted blood on his face as well. His heart was beating loudly in his ears, the burning ache of something appearing once more in his chest. He raised his shield once more, intent on aiming to kill. Tony raised his hands to block the shield coming for his face, but instead, it landed in a more fatal area.

_The Arc Reactor_

He gasped and stared at the shield embedded in the suit's chest, and he could feel the pieces of shrapnel start to enter his heart once more. He felt his breathing become irregular, his eyes staring at Steve as he removed the shield and got off of him. He saw the glossy look of tears threatening to spill past his eyes, and the way his breathing was irregular too. He was damaged, not as much as Tony was at this moment, but as he struck his shield into Tony's Arc Reactor, he knew he broke Tony's trust, and ultimately betrayed him.

He struggled to roll onto his side, body shaking violently as he was slowly losing the will to keep his eyes open, and the need for air in his lungs starting to slowly lose its purpose. He watched as Steve picked up Bucky and began to walk away, and in this moment, even if Tony was dying due to Shrapnel, his heart was still breaking into two.

"Some bodyguard you turned out to be," he said as Steve continued to walk away with Bucky, "some boyfriend you turned out to be too. You were supposed to protect me; supposed to be the one to keep me safe. Funny how that turned out." His eyes were starting to close, and his armored fingers scrapped against the ground, and he inhaled big gulps of air, trying so hard to stay focused. "That shield doesn't belong to you." Steve stopped in his tracks as the words lingered in the air, and Tony could faintly make out the sound of small sniffling. "You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!" In the blink of an eye, the shield was released from Steve's grasp, the vibranium metal ringing in the chamber around them. What neither of the two males heard, however, was the sound of their hearts shattering in the room as well. Tony looked at the shield as his head made contact with the cold concrete floor, eyes staying fixated on the shield. As Steve left with Bucky, he never did look back to see if Tony was ok, he never looked back to see the damage he did; to see that he was slowly killing Tony with the actions he took. And he never heard the four words coming out from Tony's mouth as they lingered in the air, forgotten, whisked away by the frosty air of Siberia.

"I love you, Steve." Were the last words out of Tony's mouth, before his eyes closed and darkness greeted him with open arms.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Oh boy, this was a lot to write haha. I had a lot of fun finally finishing this! And I wanted to say that we are almost done with the first installment! Only a few more chapters to go!**

**If you want to review or pm me feel free to do so. I welcome and accept all constructive criticism and positive feedback. Once again sorry for the late chapter, and I will try to make sure it doesn't happy again, but no promises!**

**Until next chapter! Bye Bye 3**


	13. Chapter Twelve: Recovery

**Author's Note:**

**Hello there, another wonderful chapter coming your way. This is basically the aftermath of the whole Civil war, featuring our two boys Steve and Tony, as well as their emotions to how they feel about the events.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will explain some things at the end of the chapter and tell you my thoughts. Quick warning by the way, there is a intimate moment in here with Tony, and it's when he's in his room. If you don't wanna read it, please feel free to skip from to the last sentence before the time skip, after you see the Tony say the words "God dammit." If you don't care, then feel free to read it and enjoy.**

**Usual disclaimers apply here; I don't own anything avengers related such as the characters, and all dialogue/quotes from the movie. **

**See you at the end!**

* * *

Darkness was the only visible thing in the vast corners of the room, accompanied by the faint, yet distinct sound of a heart monitor located somewhere. His eyelids felt heavy, but his chest felt lighter, somehow. He groaned as he tried to open his eyes, getting only partially open before he shut them again, a blinding white light greeting him as he tried. He moved his fingers, each digit brushing against what felt like a silk sheet, comforting his body like water as if he were floating just above its surface. He inhaled slowly through his nose, air happily making its way towards his lungs, sparking life within him. He exhaled through his nose slowly before opening his eyes once more, fluttering for a few minutes as the bright light came within view once more.

"Well, good morning to you, Stark." He heard a voice say from somewhere to his right. He surveyed the area, noticing how blindingly white everything was; from the walls, to the ceiling, to the lights illuminating the corners of the room, and his form. He saw the insistent contraption of the heart monitor, beeping a steady rhythm to show he was still alive. Although he felt like a truck had hit him, leaving parts of his body more sore than others, he still felt a light feeling in his chest.

He groaned as he arched his head to look at his chest, noticing the light blue hospital gown he was sporting. His eyes traced over his chest and noticed the faint indication of a freshly made scar, pink and healing, full of stitches. His breath was caught in his throat as he thought of the Arc Reactor, pulling down his gown a little to see the contraption was no longer there.

"Calm down, Stark. You're alive and breathing." He heard the voice say again. He turned his head towards the right, ignoring the screaming of the muscles in his neck, and his eyes gazed upon the familiar presence of Nick Fury.

"What," he coughed a bit, throat feeling scratchy before he tried to speak again, "what happened to me?"

"You were found unconscious and dying in Siberia. That thing in your chest was shattered, causing major injuries to your chest cavity. Doctor's worked all night to keep you alive." He swallowed the lump in his throat and stared back at his chest. He remembered it all. The Siberian base, the video, being mad and fueled with rage, fighting against Bucky and Steve, the shield being jammed into his Arc Reactor. Steve leaving with Bucky.

"Where's Steve?" He asked suddenly.

"I'm not allowed to give that information." He turned his gaze back towards Fury, staring into his eye, a deep scowl on his face.

"Why did you assign him to me? Why did you bring him into my life?"

"Now hold on there, Stark," Fury said, raising his eyebrow, "how is this possibly my fault?"

"If you didn't bring him into my life, if he was never a part of it, I would have been fine. I wouldn't be so hurt."

"And you think he's not hurting?" The words struck something deep within Tony, causing him to close his mouth and just sit there, staring down at his hospital gown, words locked away in a vault somewhere in his chest. "I didn't plan for my best soldier to fall for a snarky son of a bitch like yourself. I assigned him to protect you-"

"And you see how that turned out."

"-and I see how that turned out. However, it's not just on him, Stark. It's on you, too. In fact, it's on both of you." He let out a huff of breath and laid back against the pillow, staring at his feet that rested at the edge of the bed he was in, thoughts circling his head, just barely listening to the words coming out of Fury's mouth. "What Steve did, it was with the intentions to save his best friend; which he did, but at the same time, he hurt you. You on the other hand, didn't listen to reason or let him explain, therefore you lashed out and hurt him. Now, as much as I'd like to sit around and chat, I have to go." He watched as Fury got up, black coat swishing a bit as he made his way to the door, footsteps thudding against the floor as he went.

"Before I forget," Fury stopped suddenly, "I called that CEO of yours, Pepper. She'll be on her way shortly." He heard the door open and close, not bothering to look at the empty seat next to him where Nick was, nor look around the room anymore. He let his body relax, a deep ache nestling it's way into his chest, gripping at the place his Arc Reactor used to be. He swallowed the lump in his throat once more, eyes focused on the space in front of him, thoughts forming, circling his head like a tornado. He sat there for a while, contemplating what to do with his life now that Steve was God knows where in the world. He sat there, just wondering exactly, where is Steve?

* * *

He stared out the glass window that gave him a view of the Wakandan plains just outside the building. The grassy fields merging, kissing the dusty ground divided by a small stream down the middle, the sun beaming down rays of light across the plains, giving the grass a glossy surface. He sighs to himself, hands in his pockets as he collected his thoughts. It wasn't anything like the Malibu beach house; where he could smell the water below and feel the wind, kissing his skin as it pushed against him, the gentle sway of his hair as he walked towards the house. No, it was entirely different. He wasn't able to go back to New York; he was fugitive, even more so than before after he managed to rescue the other Avengers out of their prison cell at the raft. Through all of the events, the one thing he at least hopes for is that Tony got his letter, and that he hopefully knows Steve still loves him.

He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't bother turning around. He didn't really care who was approaching him, he was lost in thought, guilt and regret nestled so deeply it was engraved in his bones, like a permanent scar inside his body he couldn't itch at to ease the irritation. The footsteps stopped beside him, and he made out the form of T'Challa through his peripheral.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, Captain. Would you like to share?" He spoke calmly. Steve sighed heavily, his eyes still casted in front of him staring out the glass windows.

"Just thinking about Tony. Thinking about how guilty I feel." T'Challa nodded his head in response, not bothering to say much else in the situation. It was the kind of acknowledgement that always left Steve feeling just a little bit better; T'Challa never really was the one to ridicule him for his actions, but the feeling of guilt was still there. He understood what Steve was going through, and he was sure to give the other some time to brew when he needed it.

"There is someone here to see you, or rather, some people." He turned a confused glance over to T'Challa, who turned around and walked away from him. Steve didn't bother to follow, he figured that whoever was here to see him would be told by T'Challa where to find him. Soon enough, he heard the sound of footsteps again, or rather two sets of footsteps. He turned his body around and his eyes locked on two familiar faces; one of them sporting a new blonde hairdo in contrast to her usual fiery red hairstyle.

"Hey there, Steve." Natasha said. He nodded at her and then looked at Fury, his one good eye staring straight at him, a stoic expression written on his face.

"Director Fury." Steve acknowledged.

"Captain," he acknowledged back, "it's good to see you again. I would like to have a few words with you." Steve nodded his head, straightening his back to stand at attention. "At ease Soldier." He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and let his posture falter for a second, his back still straight, but his body less tense. "Now, I just got done talking to Stark."

"Is he ok?" Steve interrupted. Fury blinked at him, an unamused expression crossing his once stoic face.

"If by alright, you mean suffering from severe damage to his chest cavity, causing him to almost die due to you ramming your shield into his Arc Reactor, then I'm sure he's fine." Steve swallowed the lump in his throat, his skin starting to itch as a ghostly wave of realization hit him.

"I almost killed him, didn't I?"

"I assigned you to protect him, not to kill him," he paced around the room a bit, boots thudding against the floor as he spoke, "I understand you were trying to protect your best friend; who I know is safely frozen like a popsicle stick, but when I asked you to protect Stark, I didn't mean to go and jam your shield into the thing that was keeping him alive."

"With all due respect, sir, I know you assigned me to be his bodyguard. But, truthfully it stopped being just about the mission, and it became more about Tony himself. I'm sorry I failed, but…" He stopped in his tracks, words caught in his throat, hands balling themselves into fists so tight, his knuckles turned white. He grit his teeth behind his closed mouth, anger at himself for being so careless. He heard softer footsteps approach him, and he saw Natasha looking at him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he saw the ghost of a smile on her face, the edge of her mouth curved slightly upward being the only indication of the gesture.

"Listen, Steve," she said calmly, each word suppressing the anger welling up inside of him, "I know Stark means a lot to you, and trust me when I say he's safe. But, he's also deeply hurt, and so are you. We can't change the past, and we can't change those we've hurt. Right now we have to hope the future will be better."

"What if he hates me?" The words flew out of his mouth like a bullet, each one sending a ripple of pain through his body. "What if he doesn't love me anymore? What if my actions hurt him so bad, he never wants to see me again." He let out a shaky breath and blinked rapidly, fighting back the prickling sensation behind his eyes, as tears threatened to stain his cheeks. "What will I do then?"

"Rest assured, Cap, your lover boy was worried about you the moment he woke up. Could see his emotions practically flying around the hospital room." Fury informed him. He perked up a bit, a warm feeling in his chest. "However, you and I both know, as well as Agent Romanoff, that you aren't allowed to see him, considering you are a fugitive." He averted his gaze to Natasha after he finished talking to Steve. "That goes for you too, Agent Romanoff."

"Of course, why else did you bring me here?" The right corner of her lip turned upwards slightly, a small smile resting on her face. Fury returned the same gesture before turning his attention back to Steve.

"I'll be taking my leave now, Captain. I'll be leaving Agent Romanoff with you, and I trust that you'll have everything sorted out, and this will all be over." With that, Fury turned his back towards them and proceeded to take his leave. Steve looked at Natasha with a sad petite, sad smile on his face.

"You gonna reprimand me too?"

She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "more or less." She motioned with her head to the door, "come on," she said, the sound of her boot thudding against the floor as she walked away from him. He heard his own footsteps in his ears as he followed her, out the door and through the halls of the Wakandan facility. It was a comfortable silence between them, Steve had his hands in his pocket and Natasha let her away sway at her sides as they walked, staring into the space in front of them. Words were lingering in the air, above their heads, a complicated jigsaw needing to be put together. Steve was the first to break the silence between them.

"So, what's with the new hair style?"

"After I helped you and Barnes escape, I visited the hospital," she noticed the confused look on his face, so she paused and redirected the topic, "Rhodes was shot down from the sky, Visions lazer from the mind stone cut core to the War Machine suit, and he free fell from the sky, hitting the ground hard." He winced in response, shivering a little bit at the imagination of seeing Rhodey fall from the sky and landing down hard into the Earth. "Afterwards I had a talk with Tony, he brought up how T'Challa told Ross about what I did, so, I suppose it was time for a new identity. You like it?"

He snorted, "it's like you left the bleach in for too long." He saw the death glare through his peripheral, and he chuckled nervously, taking his hands out of his pockets and holding them up in surrender. "I'm just kidding. It looks good on you." He sighed heavily and put his hands back in his pockets. "Why did you help me anyways? You could have just turned us in."

"I told T'Challa I would help him find Barnes, not catch him. That, and I'm trained enough to know there's more to a story than what we know." He noticed the change in her normally strict and straight posture; her shoulders slumped a bit, she seemed more… Relaxed, than usual. She seemed to carry less weight now that she was more of herself rather than the Black Widow persona she carried around. However, there was always a trace of the Widow everywhere she went, but Steve could see at this moment, she was just Natasha Romanoff. "Being a spy, you tend to gather intel on everything and everyone. Without the proper knowledge, sometimes you make mistakes, or you just find out you were fighting on the wrong side."

"You saying Tony was wrong?" He raised his eyebrows, a crease forming between them as he looked at her in confusion.

She shook her head and let out a long, heavy sigh into the air. "I think you're both wrong. But, I never really gave you the chance to explain why you were doing what you were doing. I had my chance to turn you in, yes, but I felt in that moment… That there was no right or wrong between you or Tony. It came down to whether my actions were right or wrong. And I choose wrong." She shrugged her shoulders and gave a sad smile, halting her footsteps in front of a closed door, leading to the outside world of the Wakandan plains. "Situation could've been better, but we all made our choice. Like Fury said, hopefully this will all be over soon, and the Avengers can be a family again."

Something itched at the back of Steve's throat, something crawling and climbing its way out. He tried to swallow the feeling back, but they just kept trying to jump out of his mouth. Before he knew it, the words were out of his mouth faster than his brain could register. "What if it never gets better? What if we never see each other again?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Don't get me wrong," he opened the door to the facility, holding it open for her to walk through as they resumed their walk in the Wakandan soil, "I sent Tony a letter, and an old flip phone with my number being the only one there. However, what if he never gets the letter or the phone? Even if he does, what if he never calls? There's no way to know that this isn't going to be the new normal for us now. Even after I saved the others from the Raft, they- as well as you and I, are still fugitives."

"That is true, and it could be that way, but knowing Stark, he'll be thinking of you a lot." She shrugged her shoulders and stopped once more, enjoying the view of the plains, the wind blowing her hair and causing it to flow in many directions. "This place is really nice, not gonna lie."

Steve chuckled and smiled, inhaling deeply, taking in the fresh smell of grass, mixed in with the small hint of rushing water just miles away from them. "Yeah, I can definitely agree to that." Even as Steve smiled, it never really took away the inner turmoil nestling within his heart. He may have rescued the other Avengers from the Raft prison, filling himself with a little bit of positivity, but the guilt and regret continued to kick, and gnaw it's way at his resolve. He put up a facade as best as he could to block out these negative feelings, but even then he would eventually crack under the weight of his own inner demons.

* * *

New Avengers Facility had never felt more… Empty, as Tony would put it. If he has to be more specific, it was uninteresting, hollow, disgustingly quiet; as quiet as it could be with his own thoughts running rampant in his head, and the sound of his voice echoing across the empty hall as he talked to himself. Not to mention how lonely he truly felt by himself after Pepper left just a few hours ago. It was sweet of her to worry for his health, but truthfully he would bounce back physically. Emotionally… Well, emotionally speaking he was damaged. He trusted Steve with his life, told him things he hasn't ever told the others, and he betrayed in a heartbeat.

He placed his hand where the Arc Reactor used to be, feeling the stitches that marred his skin where the contraption used to be. He felt a hint of relief, but that was nothing compared to the fear that plagued him. To Tony, he wanted nothing more than the Arc Reactor gone from his chest; it caused him too much pain, sometimes it hurt to breath, sometimes it was painfully to sleep because if he ever slept on his chest the device would push harder into him, but really, it helped Tony to know he was alive. He couldn't hear his own heartbeat in his ears, so even if he was breathing and he _knew_ he was alive, he didn't quite _feel_ alive.

He itched at his skin nervously, foot tapping against the ground, eyes scanning around, head turning in different directions, anxiously waiting for just _something_ or _someone_ to show up. He did, however, spot something on a desk a few feet away from him; an average sized, rectangular white box, sitting ever so neatly at the edge of the desk. His feet carried him over to the object, immediately opening it as his fingers grasped it. Inside there were two things, a white envelope, and a cell phone. He furrowed his brows and opened the envelope first. He noticed the neat handwriting, and his breath caught in his throat, a choked sound forming as he realized it was Steve's handwriting.

"_Tony, I hope when you receive this letter you're back at the compound, and I'm sorry if you're alone. I don't really like the idea of you rattling around by yourself, for that I am sorry. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine. I've been on my own since I was 18. I never really fit in anywhere, even in the army. You gave me a place to call home, you made me feel welcomed; even if when we first met wasn't on good terms, and I was only supposed to be your bodyguard, somewhere along the way things changed. I know I hurt you, Tony. I guess I thought by not telling you about your parents I was sparing you, but I can see now that I was really sparing myself, and I'm sorry. Hopefully one day you can understand. I wish we agreed on the Accords, I really do. I know you're doing what you believe in, and that's all any of us can do. That's all any of us should."_

He sucked in a breath and opened the phone. There was only one contact inside the phone, and that was the name "Steve Rogers." Tony's fingers itched to hit the call button, but his pride got in the way of that. He so desperately wanted Steve back, but was now really the time to think about that? He turned his eyes back to the note and continued reading.

"_I don't deserve your forgiveness, or your love, I betrayed you. I know I did, and I'll live with that guilt forever. I won't even blame you if you took off the dog tags I gave you and threw them away. One thing is for certain, Tony, that no matter what I will always love you, that will never change. I promise you, if you ever need us, if you ever need me, I'll be there."_

_ ~ Steve Rogers_

Tony placed the letter gently down on the desk, staring at it for a few more minutes. He didn't realize that tears were streaming down his face till he saw a small droplet drip onto the letter. He immediately wiped his face. He reached for the dog tags still in their original place around his neck. He squeezed hard, mentally confirming himself that they were still there, and it would continue to be there.

You see, Tony knows that he should be more upset with Steve, that he has every right to throw the dog tags away after Steve betrayed his trust, hurt him; almost killed him, but he didn't want to hurt himself anymore by forgetting Steve. It was a huge step for Tony to admit this, considering how his insecurities tended to jump at him unexpectedly, but he truly _loved_ Steve.

"I love you." He whispered to himself as he held onto the dog tags. He got up from the desk, his feet carrying him to their bedroom, his hand still clasped around the declaration of Steve's love, twisting the metal in between his fingers, eyes glued ahead. He opened the door and went into the closet, fishing around for something. He fingers grazed against a papery surface, and he pulled out Steve's sketchbook. He flipped through the pages, admiring Steve's artistic abilities. He adored the sketches of his lab, admired the way Steve catched all of his features perfectly; even the Arc Reactor when he still had it, the center of the contraption replaced by a white star designed. Tony wasn't sure if it was supposed to have a deeper meaning, but to him, it meant that Steve had his heart.

His mind wandered to Steve as he kept flipping, missing the way his eyes lit up, glistening, shimmering in the sunlight, getting lost in those blue eyes of his. He misses the way Steve's arms wrapped around him, securing his body close, as if he were protecting Tony from the world. He chuckled lightly, knowing that's what Steve had been hired to do. He shook his head and remember Steve's laugh, the way his stomach would get all tingly, as if a swarm of butterflies were flapping violently inside his stomach, his heartbeat quickening, a smile plastered on his face as he heard the oh so sweet, adorable sound of his super soldiers laugh. He missed running his fingers through those blonde locks, and most of all he missed the way Steve cared for him, kissed him as if it were going to be the last time he ever saw him. He instinctively touched his lips, a ghostly feeling manifesting across them, as if he could feel Steve's lips against his, or the way his tongue swiped across his bottom lip before their tongues battled for dominance.

"God dammit…" He muttered to himself. He bit his lip as he felt a tight sensation in his own pants. He put the sketchbook down and stared at his stiff erection, throbbing in it's confides. He bit his lip and started to unbutton his pants and pull down his zipper, pulling down not just his pants, but his boxers as well. He wrapped a hand around himself, closing his eyes and staring slow as he pumped up and down. Small gasps of breath were taken, and he shuddered in pleasure.

"Steve…" He moaned softly. He imagined Steve was the one doing this for him instead, replacing his own hand with the blondes. He could see those blue eyes staring at him, making sure he was doing a good job, and watching Tony's expression. He felt the hand speed up a bit, his breath starting to come out in pants rather than short gasps.

He imagined a small smirk on Steve's face as he got the hang of it, getting a bit more bold as time went by. He could feel the ghostly touch a hand caressing his thigh, running up and down a bit before stopping at his hip. As Steve stopped pumping Tony's erection, his hand was soon replaced by the feeling of his warm, wet mouth. It pushed Tony over the edge, and soon enough, before he knew it, a warm liquid coated his hand, and he was a panting mess. He laid on the bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling, trying to get his breathing under control. Once he was done, he got up to the bathroom and went to go clean himself, pulling up his boxers and pants in the process. He splashed water on his face and looked into the mirror, looking at his reflection, and noticing the deep scars hidden in his eyes. His once glistening, sparkling brown eyes, were now a little bit dull and lifeless, the aftermath of deep seeded regret and anguish taking place. A hint of anger was woven between the mixture, but it was overlooked by other emotions entrapping it. Tony looked away from the mirror and shuffled back towards the bed.

He face planted, head hitting a pillow, wrapping his arms around it and holding it close to him. He whimpered a little bit, wishing the pillow were Steve. Since when was Tony ever like this? It was very uncommon for things like this to affect him, but it was probably caused by letting someone so close, so deep into your life, that there's this little ounce of functionality you can't quite access if they're not with you. However, Tony knew that with time he would bounce back, but things would've quite been the same, or rather, the self destructive tendencies would be back, and how he would be able to cope, was a question he asked himself before he fell asleep.

* * *

**One Year Earlier**

* * *

It's been more or less rough for Tony, with a hint of things getting better, but only slightly. He resorted his time to working on his newest Iron Man suit, as well as indulging himself in nanotechnology. Now that the Arc Reactor was no longer a part of him, he had to make an entirely different suit and reactor all together. The suit was called the Bleed Edge Armor, and it's functionality was based solely around nanobots, which responded to Tony's newly built Arc Reactor. If he held out his hand, little tiny microbots would materialize a piece of the armor, and if the armor happened to be damaged, the bots would work as fast as they could to replicate, and restore the damage done. They could also take on any shape that Tony could think of; if he wanted the gauntlet to be a sword, it would convert its shape to that. He also added a cooling system, in case he suffered major damage that the bots couldn't fix fast enough and he injured himself badly.

He also busied himself with helping Rhodey learn to walk again. They made some progress, and thanks to the equipment that stabilizes Rhodes whenever he walks, it's not an issue for him anymore without Tony having to be there for him to hold onto. He does, however, talk to his best friends and keeps in touch.

It was still painstakingly quiet in the facility, and Tony was still trying to cope with being the only one in the compound. Being alone meant having nobody to be there for you when you had nightmares plaguing your mind, invading your inner thoughts. Nobody is there to cuddle you and whisper sweet things into your ears, or to run their fingers through your hair when you are shivering, screaming, and all around terrified to close your eyes, in fear that if you did, you aren't sure what you might see. It's been rough for Tony, and of those agonizing days he wishes he had Steve with him, but he has yet to pick up the phone.

He did however have company, which came in the form of young Peter Parker dropping by the compound to start on his "stark internship." Tony's mood seemed to brighten just a little bit every time Peter was around; the kid was a fast learner, and also had a super genuine interest in science, so Tony was all for geeking out with the young superhero. Tony was generous enough to tweak the suit a little bit more, adding new features to the suit, and teaching Peter all the limitations to his suit. It warmed Tony's heart to see the kid happy, and he wouldn't be lying if he said that he thought of himself like a father figure for the kid. It was a scary thought; considering that Tony is as unpredictable and unstable in many cases, and the thought of being a father figure seemed way too scary for him, but that seemed to change on a fateful day.

Peter came over once more on Friday, but this time his Aunt May was there to greet him. Tony raised an eyebrow at the sight. Usually gets dropped off and then May leaves, but now he's genuinely curious as to why she's here.

"Why, hello there, May. What piques your curiosity to stay?" Tony asked, standing in front of both Peter and May. She looks at him and then at Peter, and it comes to Tony's attention that Peter is a little more fidgety, and a little bit embarrassed as well.

"You wanna tell him, or should I?" Tony raised an eyebrow and looked at Peter. He had this was twiddling his thumbs together and looking away from either of them. May shook her head and then turned her attention to Tony.

"Alright, I guess I'll do it. I found out that the "Stark Internship," is really a Peter coming up here to practice being a superhero."

"_Shit._" Tony thought to himself. He opened his mouth to explain himself, or come up with a reasonable, or farfetched, excuse to get him out of this mess. May held up her hand and shook her head, stopping him from trying to make the best out of this situation.

"Before you say anything else, I'm not mad. I was shocked at first, and yes a little mad. But, I've noticed Peter has been pretty happy lately, and I think this superhero thing is good for him. Also, one more thing." He reached inside her purse, pulling out a single sheet of paper and handing it to him. He stared at it for a bit, looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him, as they stared at each other.

"I don't like being handed things. Sorry, it's a me thing."

"Well, I'm going to need to hand this to you in order for you to sign it.

"What is it anyways? You suing me?" May laughed and shook her head, still holding out the paper to him.

"No, it's an adoption form."

"Why would-"

"Uhm.. Mr, Stark?" Peter muttered just barely loud enough for Tony to hear. He looked at the kid and raised his eyebrow, attention fully on Peter this time. "Ah… While we've been doing this whole internship thing, May has asked about it a lot and I may or may not have called you dad by accident." Tony's eyes widened at Peter's words, disbelief flashing across his face for a brief second.

May picked up on this and added her own two sense. "I figured, it might be good for Peter to stay up here in the compound with you. Considering he can still go to school, and he'll have everything he needs." Tony looked at the paper, swallowing a lump in his throat. He never thought the day would actually come where he would be _asked_ or even _considered_ becoming a father; let alone a father to a kid that wasn't even his, and wanted to be adopted by _him. _His mind moved faster than his mouth did, fingers reaching to grab the paper. He fumbled around his pockets to try and find a pen, only to have May hand him one as well. He signed off quicker than he had been handed the paper, and he certainly didn't miss the bright, beaming smile Peter had on his face as he watched him sign. As he gave the pen and paper back to May, Peter closed the gap between him and Tony, bringing him into a hug. Tony froze for a second out of surprise, but softened and returned the hug, smiling brightly as well.

"Well, I guess I'll be on my way now." May said. Peter pulled back and gave her a hug too. "I love you, Peter. I hope you have an amazing time here, and make sure you at least call or text me if you ever miss me."

"I love you too, May! And I will!" Peter said, happily. He couldn't control his excitement and he was practically jumping with joy. Tony and May shared a small laugh before May eventually left the compound, leaving Tony to deal with the hyperactive sixteen year old. Tony smiled at Peter, but shortly that smile fled, replaced by the downwards curve of his lips, a frown nestling itself on his face.

"Dad, what's wrong?" His warm sensation crackled and splayed in his chest when Peter called him dad, but the feelings in his chest, didn't portray the feelings on his face.

"If Steve were still here… You'd call him Dad, or Papa." He said quietly. He sighed and shook his head, getting his mind off these sad thoughts of Steve. "Forget about it, let's just get you inside and start your training." Peter nodded his head and started to happily jog his way into the compound, Tony following slowly behind him, brewing in his thoughts. Peter seemed to pick up on this and he turned around, a small smile on his face.

"For what it's worth, I'm sure he'll be back. If you miss him this much, I'm sure he misses you a lot, too." With that, he opened the front doors and made his way inside. Tony stood outside for a few, smiling at the spot Peter was once in. It was a genuine smile, the feeling in his chest now being portrayed on his face, as the warmth spread, grasping at his heart, caressing it in caring, open hands. He sighed happily, and proceeded to enter into the compound.

For Tony, it's been really hard to cope with how things have been in a year. There's not a day he doesn't miss Steve, not a day goes by where his hand grasps the phone, his spine tingling in anticipation of picking up the phone and calling him, just to hear that angelic voice once more. The itch to call is always still there, but for now, Tony is happy that New Avengers Facility doesn't feel so lonely anymore now that he has his newly adopted son around.

* * *

He hasn't slept properly in days, his body really feeling the effects of no sleep despite being a super soldier. He felt… Smaller, his body losing most of its muscle as the months rolled on. His facial hair grew out, giving him a really nice beard and mustache that he actually liked, but was that really important? He felt weaker, too, like the super soldier serum had been zapped from his entire system. He always looked at himself in the mirror and noticed the change in his body, his muscles _were_ a little bit smaller; he blames it on the lack of sleep, but if he was honest with himself, he blamed himself for everything going wrong in his life.

His bottled up anger was one thing he disliked, taking his frustration out on the punching bags in the lower levels of the Wakandan Facility. If the loud sounds of fist colliding against a bag were anything to go by in the middle of the night, some may not even notice that he has panic attacks either, or that he screams himself awake. He always has the itch to punch something, never being satisfied enough to forgive himself for what he did. The guilt and anguish always won in the end, breaking his resolve and allowing him to be put in this state of self hatred.

Eventually, he learned to forgive himself just a little bit. It never quite satisfied the demons he had to deal with; the nightmares were less frequent, but they still were persistent. It was hard to talk about them; whether it be with T'Challa or Natasha, it was hard to not bottle everything up and take it out on a punching bag. Although, if he continued to go down there, there might not be anymore punching bags left since he keeps breaking them.

Tonight was another one of those sleepless nights, his eyelids felt heavy, and he could definitely _feel_ bags under his eyes. He sighed heavily and walked over to the bathroom in his room. He turned on the faucet to the shower, and watched as the water cascaded down from the shower head. He stripped out of his clothes, setting them neatly to the side. Once steam clouded Steve's vision, he stepped inside the tub under the shower head, and sighed in content.

The water always had to be hot, especially if he was plagued with the nightmare of drowning in freezing cold water. It always woke him up in a sweat, and Steve truly wished he had Tony with him to make the nightmares go away, or he would just talk to someone about his issues. Did he want to talk to someone about his demons? Yes. Did he ever make an attempt to talk about them? In a way, yes, but it was only subtle. Some nights when Natasha found him coming back from the gym, she noticed how he looked a little malnourished, slightly smaller than his usual muscular physique.

He let the water run down his body, steam shrouding his vision as he stood under the steady stream of water. He sighed to himself and decided he needed to stop standing here and actually get himself clean. When he was done with his shower and stepped out of the tub, he looked into the mirror. He once more noticed the bags under his eyes, and the ever fading bruise on the side of his body. He touched it and winced a little bit, a reminder of when he fell on his side after-

He groaned and rolled his eyes, running his hand through his wet hair, pushing it back as it dried. He wiped himself down and got dressed, exiting the bathroom and throwing the towel back into the room before closing the door. He looked at his bed as if it were foreign to him, the concept of sleep lost upon him. He sighed through his nose and walked past his bed, going towards the door to his room. He jumped in surprise and his eyes widened a bit as he saw Natasha, standing there with a small smile on her face, arms crossed, and the weight of her body shifted on her right foot.

"Can I help you?"

"Figured you'd still be up, so I thought we could grab some coffee." She didn't give him a chance to respond as she proceeded to walk away from the door, her footsteps getting quieter in the distance. He sighed again and decided to humor her by following behind her. It was peacefully quiet inside the facility, not a single soul awake except for the two occupied in the kitchen. The lights illuminated the room, the sounds of sipping the only form of noise in the room. The bright lights of the moon shining into the room, barely noticeable by the other forms of light, but Steve could make out how it brought out their features, and it disturbed him just how much he noticed the change in himself.

"So, how are you feeling?" She looked at him, sipping from her mug after asking him her question. He looked at her with a small smile, his face lighting up with fake amounts of joy.

"I'm fine." He lied. She could see right through him, his eyes vaguely displaying shadows dancing around in his darker than normal eyes, the smile casted her way, showing a false sense of security for her to believe that he was "fine."

"How do you _truly_ feel, Steve." He figures she would see right past him, she was also good at gathering information; it was her job after all, a spies job is usually never easy, but then again, she's been training all her life, so it's bound to be really easier for her to read people. He stared down into the liquid contained into the coffee mug, his grip getting slightly tiger around the mug as he looked back into her eyes. The once fake smile on is face, replaced by a deep scowl, eyes shaking, skin crawling, itching with deep seeded turmoil.

"I can't sleep…" He noticed the sad smile on her face as she held onto the mug with two hands, not saying a single word, waiting for him to continue. He swallowed the lump in his throat and let out a shaky breath. "I have nightmares, constantly, always on my mind, and it makes it impossible to sleep. I keep reliving those moments where I almost killed Tony, except instead of leaving… I watched him die in my arms, and it was all my fault. I was powerless to do anything. I wake up and I keep thinking he'll be there to make everything feel better, but he's not. I have no idea how he feels, I go down to the gym a lot to take out my anger, and I can't stop blaming myself for everything I-"

He heard the sound of shattering porcelain, mixed with the now semi-warm liquid running down his hand, he concluded that somewhere during his rant, his hand gripped the mug too tight and broke it. Sighing was beginning to become Steve's new habit as he looked at the liquid and shards of porcelain splayed across the table, as well as a small amount of blood in his palm. He excused himself from the table, dumping what little remainder of coffee was inside the mug, throwing it away shortly after. He rinsed his hand under the faucet, watching the water turn into a slight pinkish shade, washing away the blood from his palm. He wiped his hands and located a first aid kid, placing a bandage over the cut and putting the kit back where it came from. He turned around and saw Natasha, finishing up cleaning the mess he made.

"I was gonna get that."

"I know, but it seems you have a lot on your mind. Thought I could give you one less thing to worry about." She shrugged her shoulders and walked over to him. He scooted to the side, allowing her to rinse out the cloth she used to wipe up his mess. She rung it out, making sure to get all the water off, leaving the cloth in the sink and then turning to grab the trash can, swiping the shards into the trash can and returning it back to its place.

"I'm a fucking mess."

"Since when did Captain America swear?" He chuckled a little bit as she poked fun at him, he shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Ever since Captain America and Steve Rogers became two separate people. I swear I get it from-" His name got caught in his throat, but Natasha nodded nonetheless. She patted the right side of his cheek, the corner of her lip turned upwards in a small smile. He smiled back. "Thanks, Nat. I'm gonna try to get some sleep. Don't know how that's gonna work."

"If you can't sleep, you know where to find me." She wandered off from the kitchen, her form disappearing past the doorway. He looked to the side, noticing the moon still high in the sky, the piercing veil of moonlight swimming around the lit room, trying to overpower it. He walked towards the door and turned off the light, allowing the midnight beams to invade the kitchen, his shadow the only thing left in the room.

His footsteps echoed down the hallway back to his room, his form being highlighted, features brought forth once more by the glittering moonlight, but he smiled; a genuine smile, not a fake one he brought forth to hide his true emotions, but a real smile. He felt happy, it felt _good_ to finally talk about his problems. It felt good to just let go and air out his demons to someone who didn't judge him; it made his chest feel a little bit lighter in comparison, and it made him happy.

He returned to his room and instantly headed for bed, face nestling into the pillow, releasing a sigh in the process. His eyes closed and he gripped the pillow tight, holding on for dear life as if it were his lover. It was another night full of nightmares, despite himself feeling better. It was another sleepless night for Steve Rogers, a heart full of despair and anguish, a mind plagued with unforgettable nightmares. Somewhere along the way he slept, clutching the pillow to his chest, curled up into a ball. Somewhere during the night, he whispered his lover's name, and while Tony might have been doing a little better, Steve was having a harder time recovering.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Alright so a quick few things I wanted to say. I feel like I could've made this a bit better, but that's mostly me being hard on myself. Secondly I want to just point out that I am Team Cap when the movie came out, BUT I feel that BOTH Tony and Steve share their part of the blame, in my own opinion I feel they both have things they did that contributed to the outcome of Civil War.**

**Regardless, I hope I do not upset any Team Iron Man people, because it is not in intentions to make Tony seem or feel like the bad guy. I made sure that both Tony and Steve held their own guilt and feelings towards the situations. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed reading this.**

**Feel free to leave a review and tell me how you feel, I accept any and all constructive criticism and positive feedback. We're almost to the finish line guys! First part of the story is almost done, so grats to you for sticking it out this long.**

**See you next time! Bye!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Infinity War

**Author's Note:**

**Alright, here we are, the end of the story! I honestly thought this was going to be longer, but I guess I was wrong when I went back and looked at everything I needed to write about. Well, either way I'm pretty excited!**

**I think I'm stressing this for the 4th or 5th time, but I am sorry for fight scenes I write xd, I am still not good with writing them, but at least I try! That's what counts right :D?!**

**Anyways, usual disclaimers; I do not own any of the Marvel characters, and any and all quotes from this chapter (as well as every chapter you have read) belong to Marvel as well. **

**I will go back to fix the chapters that need fixing and at least try to make it flow back to the plot as best as I can, so if I edit any chapters I will make sure to include the date I edited them! Happy reading!**

* * *

**A Few Hours Earlier**

He stared down at the pieces of paper scattered around the desk, the end of a pen in his mouth, eyes scanning over the words he's changed within the past few hours. After Peter had left for school to go on this field trip he was telling Tony about, the genius took this time to look over the Sokovia accords, and promptly try to fix the issue. He spent a copious amount of time rewriting words, changing sentences, all with the thought process of getting the Avengers back home, with little to no repercussions. He figured, if he did this, then everybody would forgive him, right? He sighed heavily and dropped the piece of paper in his hand, took the pen out of his mouth placing it next to the paper, and scrubbing up and down his face with his hand, trying to wash away the little specs of fatigue dancing across his face and under his eyes.

"God I need more coffee…" He stood up from his place at the desk in the common area and traversed towards the kitchen. The coffee maker started to brew Tony's perfect cup of coffee; a triple shot of espresso, made from medium roasted Columbian grounds. He smiled as the automatic coffee maker knew just how he liked his coffee, hell, it even knew how _all_ the Avengers liked their coffee. He watched as the mug filled with steaming hot liquid, grabbing it from its place once it was near full to the top. He added a disgusting amount of sugar to it; practically three or four spoons of it, enough to not only hype him up with a caffeine rush, but a sugar rush at that. He enjoyed the way the scalding liquid burned his tongue and singed his throat as he swallowed, taking the mug away from his lips and letting out a content sigh.

He felt around in his pocket and pulled out the cell phone Steve had given him. His fingers felt warm as he flipped open the device and started at the only name on the small screen. His thumb tingled as it ran up the numbers towards the call button, occupying the space of the button, but only ghosting over it, never being pushed down as he stared intently at his name. He wanted to call Steve. He wanted to tell him that he found a way to fix all of this, that he was changing the Sokovia Accords so they could all come back, but why was it so hard to just push the button? He was scared that Steve would be mad at him for what he did, and he wouldn't wanna talk to him. What if he was bothering him while he was hanging out with Bucky? Tony wanted to puke as he thought about how Steve was probably having the time of his life with his best friend by his side. He knew it was slightly irrational; considering that Steve even said in his letter that if Tony _needed_ him, that he could always call. Why did he think that Steve would lie to him about that?

'_Because he lied about not knowing Bucky killed your parents, even though he knew all along.'_ His brain told him. He closed the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket, bringing the mug of lukewarm coffee to his lips, downing it all in two gulps and setting the mug on the counter. He brought out his Starkphone and dialed a familiar number he knew by heart. He brought the phone to his ear and listened to the ring tone, waiting to hear the familiar voice he hasn't heard in awhile.

"Tony, what is it?" The voice asked.

"Hey, Pep, you free right now?"

"Yeah, Tony, I'm not doing anything right now. Why do you ask?"

"Do you wanna hang out today and just… Talk?" He swore he felt her retract the phone from her ear and stare at it with a confused expression. He rolled his eyes and waited for her response.

"Since when do you ever wanna talk, Tony?"

"Ha ha, very funny," he rolled his eyes again, "just meet me at the public park, I'll see you then."

"Alright."

He hung up the phone and placed it back into his pocket. He sighed and decided to change his clothes, making sure to dress properly; and a little secretly to hide his new nano reactor from Pepper, before heading out. Something tells him, today is going to be a long day.

* * *

"Tony, really!?" Yup, he figured just as much. He rolled his eyes as she looked at his makeshift nano reactor on his chest, jacket zipper partially down, and noticing the faint blue light under the compression shirt in the broad daylight. He figured she'd noticed, even with his attempt to hide it; but really, who was he kidding? She was going to notice that for some reason, in the hot New York City daylight, why on earth would he be wearing all black, and have a jacket covering himself.

"Listen, Pepper, I need this." She raised her eyebrows and waited for his explanation. "Ok, I don't _need _it, I _want _it. It helps me to relax."

"Tony, you just got the Arc Reactor out of your chest, and I understand _why_ you did it. But, is there something else you wanted to tell me?" He sighed and nodded his head slowly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small ring. It was made from the same metal his old Arc Reactor used to be, he just added some touches to it by adding the colors of red and gold, with small white stars circling the exterior of the ring.

"The reactor wasn't the only thing I made." He played with the vibranium ring with his thumb and pointer finger, glossing his two digits over the cool surface, staring down at it. He looked up and saw the smile on Pepper's face, the soft expression casted all over the features on her face, and he had to clarify exactly what this was so she didn't get any funny ideas. "It's not a wedding ring, just so we're clear."

"Oh, Tony, and here I thought you had all the intentions of proposing to Captain Rogers." He narrowed his eyes and gave her a non-threatening glare, the sound of her laughter erupting at his gesture.

"Ha, ha, very funny," he said unamused, "for your information it's a promise ring." He took out the dog tags from under his compression shirt and held in his palm, showing it to Pepper. "Steve gave me this as a gift, said that no matter where he is, he'll always be with me. I never told him I love him." He felt Pepper's hand on his shoulder as he sighed. "I made this ring for him so that when he comes back… IF he comes back, I can tell him I love him and give him something that'll always remind him of me."

"Oh, Tony. Steve will be back."

"How do you know that?" She saw the hurt flash into his eyes, a hint of disbelief scratching the surface of his iris. She smiled sadly, but it also gave off a hint of comfort and understanding. He looked away and put the ring back into his pocket, and sighed once more.

"I know because Steve is the type of guy who would worry until the end of time about you. You mean a lot to him Tony, I'm sure he's worried sick about you."

"But… What if he chooses his best friend over me?"

"Tony." Yup, it was a stupid question as soon as it left his mouth, but it wasn't his fault. This commitment thing still brought up some insecurities nestled deep inside his chest, waiting for the moment to strike and slither it's way out of Tony's mouth into the air, creating a string of words that made him have less self worth than those around him. It was vicious, he knew that much, but he's never been the one to think he was ever good enough for anyone; reasons why he resorted to sleeping around and alcohol, but ever since Steve, he's never really had to sleep around or resort to liquid courage. "Steve loves you, he gave you those dog tags. If he chose his best friend over you, then he wouldn't have given them to you."

He knew Pepper was right, but again, it was the insecurities that made him think otherwise. He nodded his head and looked into her eyes, another insecurity flying out of his mouth faster than he could stop it. "I keep telling myself I'm not good enough for him. I miss him." She placed her hand on his cheek and he tilted his head into the comforting gesture.

"I know you do, but he will be back, and you two can figure this out." He nodded his head again and sighed. He hated how weak he felt after the incident; hell, he would rather deal with the pain of the Arc Reactor killing him than dealing with this emotional shit fest. It left him a little broken, so he was experiencing an overflow of emotions flowing past the walls he put up in his body, the iron safe that used to keep everything bottled up. Mixed in with self destructive tendencies and you pretty much have a recipe for an overhaul of confusing and unwanted emotions you didn't know you had.

He saw Pepper's gaze look past him and he furrowed his eyebrows, a crease forming between them. He turned around and jumped a little upon seeing a weird portal just hovering right in front of them, and it also appeared there was something past it. He jumped again as someone exited the portal, dressed in a very weird attire. To Tony, he looked like a magician of some sorts.

"Tony Stark, I'm Doctor Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me. Oh, uh, congratulations on the wedding, by the way."

"What?" Tony replied, raising an eyebrow. Strange looked between the two with a stoic expression before he spoke again.

"Oh, wrong timeline."

"Look, are you here to give tickets to a magic show or something?"

"We need your help," Tony crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, an unamused expression on his face, "look, it's not overselling to say that the fate of the universe is at stake."

"Who's this "we," you speak of." Another body comes out of the portal, and Tony is _very_ familiar with this figure.

"Hey, Tony." Tony was very surprised to see his science bro after so long, not knowing exactly where he was this entire time.

"Bruce." He said casually.

"Pepper."

"Hi."

"Are you okay?" Tony asked, concern in his voice. He stiffened as Bruce came up to him and gave him a hug. Tony relaxes a few seconds later and hugs Bruce back. He's never seen this side of Bruce before, usually he's not one to initiate hugs, or better yet, he's always just a little bit reserved in the emotional department. Bruce pulled back and patted Tony's shoulder, giving him a sad smile.

"It's good to see you again, Tones. But, we need to go." He retracted his hand and stepped towards the portal, the man named Stephen Strange following in pursuit. Tony swallowed the lump in his throat, a weird itching feeling crawling over his skin. He dug into his pocket and took out the ring and looked back at Pepper. He grabbed her hand and gently placed it in her palm, curling her fingers around it and pushing her hands back towards her.

"Pep, I don't know what's going to happen today, so please do me a favor and put that ring in a safe location." She nods her head and he mutters a silent "thank you." He back pedals slowly, taking one last look at her before he turned around, disappearing into the portal that closed behind him.

* * *

**Present**

Tony wonders to himself, just exactly where his life went wrong; it could have been when he first got the Arc Reactor, but even then, that had its benefits. It allowed him to be a superhero, despite almost dying because of it, reminded him that he had a heart, and it allowed him to protect those he loved. Maybe it was when he met Steve? No, no, that can't be right, he doesn't regret meeting Steve, nor does he regret loving the blonde, even if he was hurting pretty badly and wishes they never met, there will always be a never ending well of emotions that only Steve should be allowed to see. Maybe it was when he woke up this morning? No, even if he slept he would probably still have been bugged by Strange. Truthfully, his life went wrong because of Thanos entering his mind, way back when he recovered the scepter. As Tony stands here, face to face with two of Thanos's children; Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, he has this gnawing fear just waiting to wrap his body and never let go. This wasn't the time to be scared, however, because whether he liked it or not, he was still a defender of earth, and to this day, that's what he was going to continue to do.

"I'm sorry, Earth's close today! You better pack it up and get out of here." He saw the alien look at him with an expression full of disgust, and unamusement.

"Stonekeeper… Does this chattering animal speak for you?" Ebony Maw gestured to Tony. The genius was about to open his mouth and retaliate, but Strange already started speaking.

"Certainly not. I speak for myself." Strange stepped forward, hands balled into fists, hitting them together before summoning two magic shields. "But you're trespassing in this city and on this planet." From behind Strang and Tony, Strange's companion Wong copies his posture, summoning two magic shields as well.

"That means get lost, Squidward!" Tony could visibly see that he was pissing off the alien, the deep crease and unamused expression on his face increasing.

"He exhausts me. Bring me the stone." Ebony Maw ordered Cull Obsidian. The giant monster spoke in grunts, not being able to properly form a coherent sentence. A large hammer dragged slowly across the gravel towards Tony and the other's.

"Banner, you want a piece?" He heard the other male sigh and shake his head from his peripheral, walking towards the front of the group.

"No, not really, but when do I ever get what I want." He stopped in his tracks, standing in front of Tony as he watched Cull Obsidian continue to drag his hammer, inching his way towards the group. Banner took in a deep breath and tried to channel the Hulk to come out and fight, but it was not working for some reason. Tony watched as Banner struggled to Hulk out, as he would call it, and he felt fear swimming in his chest as he saw the monster start to pick up speed slightly.

"Anytime now, Bruce."

"I'm trying!" Banner focused all of his might, but sadly the only thing that turned green was his neck. He was exasperated, he shook his head and turned back towards Tony. "I'm sorry, Tony. Either I can't or he won't-"

"It's okay," he interrupted Bruce, "you can stand down." Bruce walked sadly back over to his place near Wong. Tony turns his head back towards Wong and says, "watch over him." The other magic user nods his head as Tony turns back towards the hulking monster who was near sprinting towards them.

Tony puts his thumb through the drawstrings on his jacket, causing the article of clothing to adjust and hug his body. He tapped the nano reactor on his chest, and as he walked forward, his article of clothing started to transform into colors of red and gold. The new Bleeding Edge Armor materialized inside around Tony, doing so just in time and Cull Obsidian reached him. He covered his face with his right arm, and within a fraction of a second, a shield materialized in its place, blocking the blow of the hammer. Tony dropped his arm and delivered a punch to Cull Obsidian's face, staggering the brute backwards. As the monster was dazed, four panels detached from the Iron Man suit, uncurling and hovering in the air as Tony held both his arms out, the armors new blasters at the ready both in the air and on his arms. A humming sound started up, Cull Obsidian roared angrily and rushed at Tony again, only to be flung across the New York street towards Ebony Maw after being hit by the armors blasters. The four panels retracted themselves back onto the armor, and Tony lowered his arms.

"Where'd that come from?" He heard Bruce say.

Tony turned around to face him before speaking. "It's nanotech. You like it? A little someth-" he didn't finish his sentence as he found himself abruptly propelled into the air. It took him by surprise, but he regained his composure and activated the thrusters on the Iron Man suit, flying back down between Strange and Wong to deflect a car that was thrown at them back at Ebony Maw, who sliced it in half a second later.

"Gotta get that stone outta here, now." He told Strange.

"It stays with me."

"Exactly. Bye." He took off towards Ebony Maw, the alien rains down poles to deter Tony off his course, but he effectively dodges all of it, closing the gap and getting closer to Maw. His eyes widened as he saw Cull throw his hammer towards him, the object hitting him straight on and sending him flying back through buildings, and slamming into a tree back first. He groaned in pain, slowly propping himself up as Bruce ran over to him.

"Tony, you okay? How we doing? Good? Bad?" Bruce Stammered.

"Really, really good. Really good. Do you plan to help out?"

"I'm trying. He won't come out."

Tony's gaze was broken when he heard the rattling sound of a chain. Cull threw his hammer once more, the trajectory aimed at both Tony and Bruce.

"Hammer." Tony said, activating his thrusters and pushing Bruce out of the way. Once he got the other male to safety he flew back towards Cull Obsidian. He shot out a beam of energy that was blocked by the monster's shield. He flew around the creature as the beam of energy was deflected back at him, trying not to get sliced in half himself. He retracted the beam of energy and decided to go with a new tactic; he got close up to the creature's face and started to shoot small missiles which were only blocked by the creature's hammer. A precise hit by the hammer brings Tony down to the ground, his body bouncing off the earth a little bit. He groaned in pain and his eyes widened under the faceplate as the monster loomed over him, hammer swinging downwards. He held his hands up to block the impact, but instead it was blocked by someone wearing a red and blue spandex suit.

"Hey, man. What's up, Dad?" Peter said, almost too cheerfully.

"Peter, aren't you supposed to be on your field trip!?"

"I was, but then I saw this cool spaceship and- ahh!" His sentence was cut off as Cull Obsidian grabbed Peter and threw him off to the side, his body rolling and stopping near a fountain of water. Tony grit his teeth in anger and shot a beam of energy, singeing the monster's flesh a little bit, and causing the attention to go back to him for a few minutes.

"What's his problem Dad?"

"He's from space. He came here to steal a necklace from a wizard." Tony did an effective job of distracting the target, making sure to dodge the hammer and shooting energy beams from his new gauntlets. As Peter tried to sneak up on Cull and get the drop on him, the creature turned around and clamped the hammer around his body. He dropped the weapon and swung his body and the hammer around, letting it go a few moments later to fling Peter into a nearby tree. Tony used both of the gauntlets to shoot high energized lazers of energy at Cull, regaining the creature's attention. He blocked it with his shield once more. Tony could visibly see the anger written on this thing's face and he watched as it grabbed a weirdly placed car in the middle of the park and threw it at him, dodging out of it's way and letting it soar through the air. It didn't get far as Peter used his web to latch onto the car and throw it back at him, hitting him hard.

It only seemed to piss Cull off even more. He swung his hammer once more, Tony flying through the air to dodge it, and Peter doing his best to offer support. They both were able to land hits onto the creature, but there was a sudden blur that passed by and Tony found himself having to shield a nearly fatal hammer blow from Cull with his shield.

"Son, that's the wizard. Get on it."

"On it!" Peter starts to swing his way around New York, chasing after Ebony Maw as he chases after Strange. He gets closer and closer within reach of getting the drop on Maw, but the alien was just a few steps ahead of him. As he let go of his webbing to drop down onto Maw, a billboard was suddenly within his vision and he got hit straight on. He flew back a few inches, but he recovered quickly and started to swing his way through the streets once more, gaining distance.

Maw uses his weird telekinetic powers to bend the utility poles littered along the streets, one of them snagging on to Dr. Strange's cape, sending him flying through the air. As his body was falling closer to the ground, Peter was able to catch him just in time, shooting a web on his back to keep him from hitting the ground. As Peter tries to make his escape with the Dr., a blue beam of light shoots down from the sky, halting Strange in the middle of it, and stopping Peter from being able to take him away. As the beam started to lift him into the air, Peter grabbed onto a utility pole, holding on with all his might. Maw used his powers once more to lift the pole and send Peter into the blue light to be beamed up as well.

"Uh, Dad, I'm being beamed up!"

"Hang on, Son!" While Peter was busy chasing after Maw and Strange, Tony was still fighting off Cull Obsidian, who was still swinging his hammer wildly at Tony, trying very hard to knock him out of the sky. What Tony didn't expect however, was the hammer itself to split down the middle into a makeshift claw. His eyes widened under the faceplate as he felt immense pressure clamping around the suit short circuiting it. He was thrown to the ground, struggling to get out of the claws grasp, electricity sparking around him as the suit tried to repair the damage. He struggled more as he saw the creature rush over to him, a long blade at the ready to end Tony's life. The creature jumped, ready to finish off the genius, but instead, the sight in front of Tony was replaced by a portal. He looked and saw Wong, holding open a portal and looking inside at Cull. The creature tried to jump up out of the portal, but Wong closed it just in time, severing the creature's hand. With that out of the way, Tony broke free of the claw.

"Thanks, Wong!" He said before he blasted off into the sky. He watched as the ship got further and further away, the regular power of the foot thrusters not being enough to catch up to the ship.

"Give me a little juice, FRIDAY." The double foot thrusters morph into one single thruster, giving him enough acceleration to start catching up to the distance. He noticed his son, hanging on for dear life as the ship continued its ascension into outer space. He was going to run out of air soon, and then he would plummet straight down to earth. "Unlock 17-A." A pod was released back at the Avengers compound, slowly making its way into outer space where Tony was. "Pete, you gotta let go. I'm gonna catch you."

"But you said save the wizard!" Peter yelled. He started to feel as if his chest were on fire, like a blazing trail of fire scorching inside his chest, his lungs constricting painfully the higher the ship went. He took off his mask, gasping in an attempt to get air into his lungs. It was painful, but there wasn't much oxygen out in outer space. Specks of white started to dance around his vision, and the spaceship started to become nothing more than a blur. "I can't breathe."

"You're too high up. You're running out of air."

"Yeah! That makes sense." His eyes closed as his vision slipped right before him. He let go of the spaceship and started to free fall towards the earth. Just then, his eyes opened and he took in a huge gasp of air. He felt different. When he looked at himself he saw that the old spandex suit had been replaced and it was more metallic, a darker shade of red and blue mixed in with a small hue of black. Peter corrects himself and lands at the bottom of the ship, admiring the new suit in all its glory.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing!"

"Happy trails, Pete. FRIDAY, send him home." Peter's head snapped up and before he could register what was going on, a parachute opened and he was being flung towards the earth once more.

"OH, COME ON!" Tony chuckled to himself, but it was in his best interest to send Peter back to the compound. He didn't want him to get hurt, and if he did, Tony would never forgive himself at all. He latches onto the side of the ship and starts to cut a hole into the ship. He enters the ship through the hole and starts to look around for where Maw has Strange, not noticing a certain young hero still attached to the ship by a spider web.

"Oh my god," Peter says as he looks back and watches earth get smaller and smaller the higher they go, "I should have stayed on the bus…"

* * *

His footsteps echoed along the hallways, his hands enclosed in fists at his side, his gaze casted forward as he traversed the area. He reached his destination and noticed the blonde haired woman, sitting on the table they drank coffee at. His nerves were heightened after getting off the phone with Tony, and to say he was a little scared would be an understatement.

"Nat." Steve called. She turned her head towards him, noticing his posture was more rigid, less relaxed then the last time she had seen him. He was still a little small, less muscle on his body than he had before, he still had his beard and mustache combo, and his hair had grown out as well. From this distance she could practically hear his heart beating out of his chest. "We need to go."

"Why?" The immediate response flew out of her mouth.

"Tony called, and I think he's in danger. He said something about Thanos coming, and to prepare for battle." She nodded her head and got up from her seat, heading off towards her room to gather her equipment. Her pathing was halted when Steve's phone rang in his pocket. He reached inside of his pocket and flipped the phone opening, putting the device near his ear.

"Tony, are you ok?"

"It's Bruce, Steve."

"Banner?" Steve looked at Natasha and she had the same surprised look on her face that he probably has on right now at this very moment. "How are you?"

"This isn't the time for formalities, Cap. I need you to find Vision. He's in danger. Thanos is coming for the infinity Stones, and he wants the mind stone inside Visions head."

Alright, Nat and I are on it." He hung up the phone without giving the Doctor time to respond, and looked back at Nat. "You heard anything from Wanda and Vision."

"No, last time I checked we were all supposed to keep in contact with each other. However, I know their location. Why?"

"Visions in danger. We need to get to them before anybody else does. You go get ready and I'll meet you outside." Without another word, she simply nodded her head and exited the room. He stood there for a while, gazing out the window. He fished his phone out of his pocket once more, thumbing grazing over key numbers before hitting the call button. He listened to the ringer, waiting for it to stop.

"Hey, Steve. What do you need?" The voice asked.

"Hey, Sam. I'm gonna need your help."

* * *

The moon shone high in the sky over the area of Scotland, the gentle, steady rainfall cascading down from the sky. The chilly air flowed around the area, creating a gentle breeze that pushed the rain at an angle. The streets were alive with spots of yellow from the street lamps, illuminating a path into the night. The city of Scotland was beautiful, and it's inhabitants all asleep; well, except for two people, occupying a room. A male stands at the window, gazing out into the night sky, and the female, rests ever so silently on the bed, staring at the male gazing out the window. A small sound of pain has her make her way off the bed towards her lover, his hand resting on his forehead as she turns him to look at her.

"Vis? Is it the stone again?" Wanda asked gently, voice barely above a whisper loud enough for him to hear.

"It's as if it's speaking to me." Vision replied.

"What's it saying?"

"I don't… I don't know. But something…" He gasps slightly in pain again, hand going back to his forehead for a second. He feels her hands gently caress his face, he slowly lowers his hand, holding onto her left one as he looks into her eyes. He turns his head and places a small kiss on her left palm before pressing her hand to his forehead where the mind stone is located.

"Tell me what you feel." Red tendrils of swirling, misty energy float between the space of Wanda's hand and the stone. Her face contorts in confusion, the stone not reacting to her at all, which is weird, because the last time she looked in Visions head, she saw annihilation. She shook her head and lowered her hand, starting into Visions eyes again.

"I just feel you." She notices the small smile on his face, and she replicates it. She sees him lean in slowly, and she follows, meeting him in the middle for a small, quick kiss of affection. They break away and stare at each other for a moment, lost in each other's eyes. Soon they decide to venture outside once the rain has stopped, walking hand in hand down the chilly Scotland streets under the gaze of the moon above.

"There's a ten am to Glasgow to give us more time together before you went back." Wanda said.

"What if I miss that train?"

"Then there's one at eleven."

"What if I miss that train? What if I miss all the trains? What if this time I didn't go back, and just stayed here with you."

"Vis," she stopped walking, turning to look at him and seeing the sad smile on his face as she spoke, "I made a promise that I would stay here. I can't go back on that now, and the other's need you."

"That may be true, but Wanda… For two years, we've stolen these moments, trying to see if this could work. And… I don't know." He stammered, uncertain of what he really wanted to say. "You know what, I'm just going to speak for myself - I, I… I think…"

"It works." Wanda finished the sentence for him, the smile on her face reaching her eyes.

"It works." He whispered back, a small replicated on his face as well. "Then stay. Stay with me." He observed her loving gaze and genuine smile plastered on her face still, and then it disappeared, her eyes gazing away from his and looking to the left, filling him with uncertainty. "Or not. If I'm overstepping." She let go of his hand and slowly walked towards a window full of TV's in a kebab shop. Vision follows her movement and walks next to her, and they stare at the sight on the TV; the invasion of New York, images on the screen showing the alien antagonists, and the disappearance of Tony Stark.

"What are they?" She said fearfully. He turned his gaze towards her, grabbing her hand softly in his.

"What the stone was trying to warn me about." He kissed the back of her hand softly, his lips brushing over her knuckles briefly. "I have to go."

"No, Vision. Vision, if that's true… Then maybe going back isn't a good idea."

"Wanda, I…" His sentence was cut off, and a scream erupted from Wanda as a spear was impaled through Visions back, disrupting his human glamour appearance, light cascading down his body to reveal his true red, green and gold appearance.

"Vision!" She yelled once she found her voice. She circles her hands to gather up energy, the red misty aura circulating around her hands, but a blast resonated from behind her and propelled her off the ground, her body making contact into a bistro's window across the street. Her body momentarily racked itself in pain, but was soon forgotten as she heard the agonizing scream of Vision. She willed her body upright, ignoring the scratch on her face and the ache of her body. She stood on the windowsill, looking at the two intruders standing over Vision, the one with the spear trying to tear the mind stone out of his head. She circled her hands again and willed the red mist to her will, creating a small ball of energy that she shot at both of them, knocking them away from Vision and on their backs. She took this moment to surround Vision with her power, hoisting him into the air, and then propelling herself into the air after him. They flew through the air away from the aliens, Vision colliding into a marble statue as Wanda drops down into a courtyard, rolling to her feet just in time to stop Vision's free fall with her powers, sliding him over to her.

She supported Vision's weight as they stumbled over to a concealed alleyway. She set him down gently and started to tend to his wound, using her power to stitch him back together as he leaned on the pillar, breath ragged, full of immense pain.

"The blade. It stopped me from phasing." He said through gritted teeth.

"Is that even possible?"

"It isn't supposed to be." She continued to knit the wound back to it's uninjured state as he continued to grunt in pain, his breathing still a little weak. "My systems are failing." She concentrates intently until the wound is healed, closed by up, neatly stitched together and he lets out a small exhale of breath. "I'm starting to think… We should have stayed in bed."

A presence was felt by the machine as the alien with the spear - Corvus Glaive - appeared at their location. Vision pushed Wanda away gently, moving her away from him as Corvus took Vision away into the sky.

"Vis!" She screamed, and she soon felt another presence slowly creeping up behind her. As she turned, a staff was slammed into the concrete pillar she hid behind to her left and she moved out of the way. Red mist flowed from her hands again as she moved from the pillar, coming face to face with the other alien - Proxima Midnight. As Vision and Glaive fight in the air, Wanda holds her own against Proxima, using her power to block and deflect her weapon. Proxima's attacks were vicious, cycling between one end of her staff to the other, Wanda barely being able to keep up with the flurry of attacks. A blast of energy found its way to her chest as Proxima held up the end of her staff and fired at Wanda, sending her soaring through the air. Before she could hit the ground, she used her powers to soften the blow. She rolled on the ground and her eyes widened as she saw Proxima soar to her, staff held in the air, a blade attached at the end. She brought her hands up and stopped the advancement of the weapon from reaching her throat. She pushed back and Proxima stumbled, giving Wanda enough time to get to her feet and launch blasts of red misty aura at Proxima, only for it to be deflected.

Suddenly, a beam of energy cut through between them, causing Wanda to stumble, the beam slicing a car in half and setting it on fire, giving Proxima a chance to swipe her staff at Wanda. Once more, the force of the staff was blocked by her power, but in the distance Vision's scream was heard. Wanda heard the crackle of fire behind her, and she dipped her body back, bending backwards and lifting her hands above her head, throwing Proxima into the burning vehicle. She wasted no time propelling herself into the air to come to Visions aid. Corvus turned around slowly, snarling at her as he stopped trying to pry the stone out of Visions head.

"Hands off." She fired a blast of red energy at Corvus, shoving him into a glass window and separating him from Vision. She ran over to him, hoisting him to his feet, arm draped around her shoulder, and propelled them off into the air. She only got so far until another blast of energy from Proxima's staff shot them out of the sky, sending them soaring into a free fall. They were coming closer to the glass rooftop of a train station, nearing impact. Vision held onto Wanda tight, using his body as a cushion to break her fall as his back broke through the glass. They landed on ground hard, skidding across the surface. Wanda felt another sharp pulse of pain vibrate through her body as she lost her grip on Vision, her body colliding with the ground as they separated. Visions back collided with the steel guard rails, letting out a grunt of pain as well. She ignored the pain and made her way over to Vision as he sat up, trying to pull him onto his feet.

"Come on. Come on. Come on. You gotta get up." Wanda pleaded, still trying to pull him up, but he sat there, his wound reopened, and a defeated look in his eyes. "Come on. Hey. Hey. We have to go."

"Please. Please leave." He whispered. He placed his hands on her face gently, inspecting the cuts on her face, sadness crossing over into his eyes as he looked at her.

"You asked me to stay. I'm staying."

The sound of broken glass was heard by both occupants. As Wanda turned around she was Corvus and Proxima standing there, murderous intent gleaming in their eyes. Without hesitation, Wanda stood, circling her hands and drawing energy into them once again, standing protectively in front of Vision.

The sound of an express train was heard behind Wanda, and as both aliens slowly stepped towards Wanda, it was Proxima who suddenly stopped and casted a curious gaze towards the moving train. Wanda slowly turned her head, feeling a presence behind her as well. When the final train car passes, a figure stands there in the shadows. Proxima throws her staff and the mysterious figure, who steps out of the way and catches it quickly. The shadow moves forward after, and Wanda can't stop herself from smiling and feeling relieved as Steve stands before her and Wanda. With the entire group distracted, another person made their entrance, flying through the air and delivering a two footed kick to Proxima, sending her flying off to the side. Sam swoops around and fires at Corvus, who blocks the barrage of bullets. With Corvus distracted, Steve throws the spear, and another blonde headed figure is off in a sprint, grabbing the spear and sliding across the ground on her knees, spinning the staff and cutting Corvus calf, causing him to kneel. Natasha spins her body around and jams the spear into the gut of Corvus, eliciting an agonizing sound of pain from the creature's mouth. Natasha smiles briefly before using the spear to kick stand herself back onto her feet. She spins in the air this time, delivering one kick to Corvus's chest, and the other to his face, knocking him down to the floor.

Natasha turns her head and see's Proxima leaping at her, the spear being ripped away from her grasp in the process. Steve tumbles over towards Natasha, grabbing the discard spear of Corvus and stopping Proxima from harming Natasha in any way. The two work together, delivering swift punches and kicks to the alien, before Sam comes back, flying towards them and delivering another kick that sends Proxima reeling back towards her fallen comrade.

"We don't wanna kill you. But we will." Natasha said, each word dripping with an icey sharpness to it.

"You'll never get the chance again." A beam of light appears before the two creatures, their forms disappearing, as well as the spear from Steve's hand. The adrenaline running through Steve's body was dissipating, and he turned around to look at Wanda and a very much hurt Vision. The three of them walked over, Wanda with her arm around Vision's waist, his arm placed gently near his wound, and the other around Wanda's shoulder.

"Thank you, Captain." Vision says. Steve nods his head and assesses the situation. They need to get Vision somewhere safe, to get him recuperated, and to discuss the infinity stone mess.

"Let's get you on the jet."

The group makes their way back towards the Quinjet, a small ounce of silence between them.

"I thought we had a deal," Natasha said after closing the door, her words aimed at Wanda, "stay close. Check in. Don't take any chances."

"I'm sorry. We just wanted time."

Time, a fickle thing, in a sense really, something not only Steve was running out of, but all of them were running out of. With the threat of Thanos immensely high, it was only a matter of time before the metaphorical clock struck zero, and they couldn't do anything about it. It unnerved Steve to no end, and he wished they had more time to get to Vision and Wanda before Proxima and Corvus did.

"Where to, Cap?" He was broken out of his thoughts by Sam, but soon relapsed into them as he thought once more. Where would they go? Was it wise to go back to Wakanda and fight with the limited number of people at their side. No, it wasn't smart, they needed all the help they could get. It was time to return to the one place he kept close to his heart these past two years.

"Home."

* * *

There was a weird sense of nostalgia nestling in the pit of Steve's stomach as his feet made contact with the ground, shortly after the Quinjet landed near the Avengers Facility in upstate New York. After finally coming home from being on the run for two years, a sense of dread washed over him in waves, slowly at first, then full force as his footsteps led him closer to the compound. He was in no means permitted back here at all, but earth needs him, and what's even more important, to him specifically, is that Tony _needs_ him.

The doors opened, allowing the "criminals" and Vision into the old home. He heard the sound of two voices, and his feet led him towards the source. In a room full of gadgets and gizmos, just before the common area, can only be described as a small workspace for Tony, with shelves full of discarded Iron Man parts, silver tables lined with inventions and traces of oil, and white walls that looked a little too white for Tony's taste, stood Rhodey and a holographic image of Secretary Ross. Steve's footsteps halted, attracting the attention of both their gazes onto him and his friends.

"Mr. Secretary." He said flatly, voice void of emotion. Ross's holographic image slowly walked towards them, his eyes slowly trained on Natasha as he spoke.

"You got some nerve. I'll give you that."

"You could use some of that right now." She bit back. He turned his attention to Steve, a small downwards cast of his eyebrows in an angry gesture, and a scowl edged into his face.

"The worlds on fire. And you think all is forgiven?"

"I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission." Two years had really changed Steve, given him time to think and reflect on his actions, and truthfully he felt while there were hardships that came with the change, he ultimately realized that it was time to stop being the national hero everyone wanted, or needed him to be. He was no longer Captain America, he was Captain Rogers. "Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight." He walks slowly towards Ross, descending the small steps until he is close to his face, a stoic expression casted in his direction. "And if you wanna stand in our way… We'll fight you too." There was a small hint of venom laced behind those threatening words, daring, challenging Ross to interject to him helping. The Secretary just chuckled softly and turned back to Rhodey.

"Arrest them."

"All over it." Rhodey swipes off the hologram, making Ross and his office disappear in the blink of an eye. Rhodey doesn't mean to arrest them, however. He stands there in his leg braces and ponders for a moment before speaking. "That's a court-martial." That's when Steve sees it; the small smile, the small welcoming smile he sends their way. "It's good to see you, Cap."

He smiles back. "Good to see you too Rhodey." His smile faltered for a moment, a crease forming between his eyebrows as a look of concern and confusion etched itself onto his face. "Where's Tony? I thought he would be here?"

"Hate to break it to you, Cap. But Tony's not on earth at the moment." His gaze shifts slightly and his breath hitches as he locates Bruce, a small pep in his step, and a friendly smile on his face. The scientists seemed to notice all eyes on him, and a small ounce of shyness overcame him. "Uh… Hey… I'm back."

"Hi, Bruce." Natasha said softly. He smiled at her.

"Nat." He turned his gaze back over toward the group and motioned with his head for them to follow. When they enter the common room, they spend a few minutes catching up Rhodey and Bruce what has transpired within the past few hours. Bruce takes in all the information with small nods of his head, and Rhodey has a concerned look on his face as they conclude the story.

"We have to assume they're coming back, right?"

"And they can clearly find us." Wanda said.

"We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?" Bruce voiced his concern.

"After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families, they're on house arrest." Natasha informed him.

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "who's Scott?"

"Ant-Man." Steve told him.

Bruce shook his head in disbelief. "There's an Ant-Man _and_ a Spider-Man?" He shook his head again and waved his arms in front of him, dismissing the situation. "That's the least of my worries. Look… Thanos has the biggest army in the galaxy, and he won't stop until he… He gets… Until he gets Vision Stone."

"Well then, we have to protect it." Natasha said, a small smile forming at the edge of her lips.

"No, we have to destroy it." All eyes turned to Vision as he spoke. "I've been giving it a great deal of thought to this entity in my head, it's nature. But also, its composition." He looks at Wanda as he speaks again. "I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature, perhaps… Its molecular integrity could fail."

"And you, with it. We're not having this conversation." Wanda stated, her eyes sharp as she looked at Vision.

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it."

"That's too high a price."

He took her face in his hands, fingers gently caressing her cheeks, rubbing soothing circles into them, looking into her eyes. "Only you have the power to pay it." She stares at him for a few more seconds before pulling away from him. Vision sighs defeatedly. "Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

Steve takes his words to heart, thinking about what he wanted to say. He casts his eyes downwards, knowing how Vision feels. It was the same feeling he had when he sacrificed himself to save all of New York by crashing the Valkyrie into the ocean, freezing himself for 70 years. Although this time… The situation was a little different, considering Vision has a choice in the matter, but Steve never did. Softly he says, "But it should." He brings his eyes upwards, looking at Vision as he speaks again. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people," he walked slowly towards Steve as he spoke, never breaking eye contact, "tell me, why is this any different?"

"Because _you_ might have a choice." Bruce spoke. Eyes turned his way as he continued to speak. "Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another."

"You're saying that Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda asked.

"I'm saying if we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts."

"Can we do that?" Natasha asked. Bruce shook his head, holding his hands up.

"Not me. Not here."

Steve couldn't stop the smile that plastered itself onto his face. He knew exactly where they had to go in order for this to work out. As Natasha caught the smile on his face and turned to him, he voiced his thought. "I know a place."

* * *

The Quinjet soared over the clouds once more, cutting through the white cotton candy like object as it made it's journey back to Wakanda. As the vehicle broke through the last thicket of clouds, it was slowly starting to approach a cluster of trees etched by a rocky cliff. Steve instructed Sam to keep going, and as the Quinjet flew into the clusters of trees, it turned out that it was actually just an invisible force field, hiding, and containing the beautiful city of Wakanda behind it.

As the Quinjet touches the ground and the landing strip opens, Steve and the rest of his team are met by T'Challa, who has a bright and welcoming smile on his face, and Okoye, the general of the Dora Milaje, who had a stoic expression on her face as she watched the superheroes exit the Quinjet.

"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something." Steve says with a small smile on his face.

"It is no problem, Captain. How big of an assault are we talking about?" T'Challa ponders.

"Uh, sir," Bruce speaks up, his shyness coming back as he speaks to T'Challa, "you can expect quite the big assault."

"How we looking?" Natasha asked.

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and…" he trails off and motions with his hand towards another presence, the very person who Steve risked his life for back in Siberia.

"A semi-stable, 100-year-old man." Bucky said. Steve smiled, glad to see his friend was doing ok and adjusting to his life here in Wakanda after being unthawed only recently.

"Glad to see you're doing ok, Buck." His friend smiled back and the two shared a hug for a brief moment.

"Come, we have much to discuss." T'Challa informed, turning around and walking back inside the facility.

The group finds themselves in another extravagant part of the facility near the top; a highly technologically advanced state of the art lab, that in Steve's mind would rival Tony's in a heartbeat. He stood in awe as they walked towards the back of the lab to a more mundane looking area, overlooking the plains of Wakanda, to the mountains. It was breathtaking, but now was not the time for sightseeing.

Shuri, T'Challa's sister, had analyzed the stone and said that she would be able to help take apart the stone from Vision's head, although it would take awhile, and when she had asked why Bruce didn't just reprogame the synapsis to work collectively, and as everyone stared at the Doctor, well, he was at a lost for words.

Suddenly Okoye's kimoyo beads chime in alarm, alerting her of something drastic. She flicks one bead into her palm, which projects a globe with a pulsating locator mark. "Something's entered the atmosphere."

"Hey, Cap," he hears Sam say into the communication device in his ear, "we got a situation here." Steve steps forward and looks at this weird vessel that crashes into the barrier around the Wakandan plains, bursting into flames and cluttering the area with metallic rubble. A few more ships suffer the same fate as the first, but shortly after, as more rain down from the sky, they drop onto Wakanda soil, dormant and inactive. Steve feels like he can't breathe, as if a hand is grasping at his lungs and squeezing them tightly. He lets out a breathe he didn't know he was holding, and a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned and looked at T'Challa, who didn't say anything, but he simply smiled at Steve. The blonde nodded his head and looked at Wanda, "as soon as the stones out of his head, you blow it to hell." She nodded her head, no words needing to be spoken right now.

"Evacuate the city. Engage all defense procedures." T'Challa ordered. He looked back at Steve and gave one more order before exiting the room. "Someone get this man a shield."

Shuri begins to work on removing the stone from Visions head as the other's exit the room following T'Challa. Halfway down the hall, someone brings Steve a makeshift shield, one for each hand. He feels the texture of the object; it was cool to the touch, and it reminded him of his vibranium shield he once had. He shakes his head and equips the new shield. It extended as he curled his hand into a fist, and he smirked down, loving the weapon already. He caught up with the other's outside, riding in a carrier craft with Bucky onto the field. Sam and Rhodey are overhead, Natasha riding on a carrier with Okoye, and Bruce happily enjoying himself jumping and bouncing around in the HulkBuster suit; until he ends up tripping and embarrassing himself that is.

"I got two heat signatures breaking through the tree lines." Rhodey informs them.

They watched the tree lines and just like Rhodey said, two people- or rather two aliens, Proxima and Cull Obsidian, emerge. Steve, Natasha and T'Challa, all suited up and ready for whatever they had to throw at them, walked up to the barrier.

"Where's your other friend." Natasha said with a small smirk.

"You will pay for his life with yours," Proxima warned, "Thanos will have that stone."

"That's not gonna happen." Steve said.

"You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood." T'Challa spoke.

Proxima smirks at them, a devilish glint in her eyes that unnerved Steve, but he didn't let it show as his face remained stoic. "We… Have blood to spare." She raises her sword in the air, and the vessels behind her start to slowly lower their doors. Snarls and gargles can be heard from the woods behind them. Steve swallowed the lump in his throat, moving away from the barrier to return to the group of Wakandan warriors along with Natasha and T'Challa.

When they return, they stare back and Proxima and Cull. The horned woman drops her sword, and a sharp chill washes down Steve's spine. He doesn't know what to call these… Creatures who were running out of the woods, four arms on the ground to go with their two hind legs, teeth so razor sharp they could cut through flesh if they got close enough, the subtle drip of saliva from their mouths as some of their tongues flapped as they ran. It was a gruesome sight, and Proxima stood there, smirking at them as these creatures practically threw themselves at the barrier, killing themselves as their skin charred and burned. Those who made it through were disposed of quickly by the Border Tribe, who raised their shields as the Kingsguard behind them leveled their sonic spears onto their shoulders and fired. Sam and Rhodey also took care of those freshly coming through the barrier, and Bucky used his machine gun to shoot down any stragglers.

In the blink of an eye, they noticed the sudden shift in formation from these creatures; as if they suddenly evolved and adapted to their situation, like any predator would adapt while they're hunting. It was an unnerving sight, watching them run around the barrier, looking for another way in.

"Cap," he heard Bruce call his name, "if these things circle the perimeter and get behind us… There's nothing between them and Vision." Steve knew he was right, if these things weren't kept in front of them, the damage they could cause would be disastrous.

"Then we better keep 'em in front of us."

"How do we do that?" Okoye asked, worried.

"We open the barrier." T'Challa said. He places his finger on the communication device in his ear, speaking to the dome control back at the facility that on his signal, the barrier would fall. Steve felt his skin prick with goosebumps, adrenaline starting to pump deep within his veins as he curled his hands into fists, shields at the ready.

"On my signal." The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. So much was riding on this battle, and so much would be lost if they weren't able to protect Vision. It was a do or die situation, and as the minutes rolled on, Steve swears he could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

"WAKANDA FOREVER!" T'Challa yelled, and the barrier was soon dropped, and the creatures swarmed the Wakanda plains as everybody ran forward. This battle would be the end of Wakanda, but it would be the noblest end in all of history.

* * *

Tony clicked his teeth with his tongue, staring downwards at Dr. Strange, who was in a very prickly, and franky dangerous situation. He had to figure out how to save the stonekeeper before he was impaled with a thousand sharp razor drilling needles. Time was of the essence, and Tony swore he was both running out of time, and on the verge of a small panic attack. He calmed himself by accessing the situation, and then felt a weird tap on his shoulder. He furrowed his eyebrows and turned around slowly, jumping in surprise and readying a blast at the red cape, but slowly relaxing when he realized that it belonged to Dr. Strange.

"Wow you're seriously a loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?" Tony whispered.

"Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty…" Tony froze, and he swore he was close to losing it. He slowly turned around, as well as the cape, and he could feel the anger bubbles swelling inside his chest, ready to burst and Peter slowly dropped down from above and stood in front of them.

Peter could see the anger splaying itself on Tony's face, so he held up his hands and tried to talk his way out of this one. "I know what you're gonna say."

"You should not be here."

"I was gonna go home-"

"I don't wanna hear it."

"But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you on the way…"

"And now I gotta hear it." He pressed his pointer finger and thumb to his eyes, trying to suppress the anger coursing through him before he said something he didn't mean, or blew their cover entirely.

"...And I kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way. So if anything, it's kinda your fault that I'm here."

Tony slowly took his fingers away from his eyes and stared at his son is disbelief, his teeth gritted in anger, and his jaw clenched. Honestly, he had to admit it to himself, he was doing a good job at keeping his cool so far.

"What did you just say?" He said dangerously slow and quiet, almost a whisper in the wind.

"I take it back. And now I'm in space."

"As soon as this is all over, you're grounded." Peter opened his mouth to protest, but Tony held his hand up to stop him, effectively making the teenager shut his mouth. "Look, you're exactly where I didn't want you to be. If you get hurt, that's on me. And another thing; you cannot possibly tell me you thought this through."

"No. I did think this through."

"You could not have possibly thought this through."

"Dad," Peter said softly, causing Tony to soften his expression and listen,"I can't be a friendly neighborhood superhero if there's no neighborhood." Tony narrowed his eyes and tilted his head in confusion. Peter chuckled nervously, "that didn't really make any sense. But I really just wanna be like you."

"And I want you to be better." Peter's lips flattened themselves into a line at Tony's words. "I don't want you to be like me; all self destructive tendencies, insecurities, you can be better than me. You're a good kid, Peter." He smiled at the young spider teen, and he felt warmth in his damaged, yet to be repaired heart, when the teen smiled back. "All mushy feel goodness aside, we gotta get the wizard out of here." Peter nods his head and walks closer to Tony, peering over the edge downwards. "Alright, what's your plan? Go."

"Uh…," he stammered for a moment, pointer finger and thumb on his chin, deep in thought. "Ok, did you ever see this really old movie, Aliens?" Tony slowly nodded his head, and Peter explained his plan to him. It was a very simple plan, Tony being able to follow him through his pop culture reference pretty well, considering he pretty much makes them on a case to case basis.

They disperse and move through the shadows, Peter off to the side, waiting for the opportunity to full proof their plan, and Tony, carefully sneaking up behind Ebony Maw as the drills start to come dangerously close to Dr. Stranges' face. He heard the sorcerer scream, the noise echoing around him, and he kicked his part of Peter's plan into action.

"Painful aren't they? They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them…" Ebony trails off, hearing a thud from behind him. He turns slowly and looks at Tony, his repulsor blast armed and ready. "Could end your friend's life."

"He's not really my friend," Tony stated, truthfully, "saving his life is more of a professional courtesy." Maw slowly walks towards Tony, lifting his hand, summoning two metal floating objects behind him, aimed directly at Tony.

"You've saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine."

"Yeah, but the kid's seen more movies." A small compartment opens from his shoulder, revealing a rocket. He fires the rocket, the object whizzing through the air and piercing the ship behind Maw, opening the inside of the ship to the vacuum effect of outer space through depressurization. Everything moves quickly, Maw and his metallic weapons being sucked into space where he freezes in a matter of seconds. Strange was the next to follow, the needles dropping away from him and his body slowly started to plummet towards the hole. His cape swooped down and wrapped itself around his arm and anchored itself to a part of the ship. His grasp slips and he plummets once more downwards. Peter leaps into action, shooting a web that connects to Stranges' back, and then grabs onto a stray structure of the ship. The structure broke soon after, causing both Strange and Peter to fall even closer towards the crack in the ship. Unbeknownst to Peter, his suit acted on it's own mind for a split second, sprouting mechanical spider legs that stopped Peter from getting sucked out into the vacuum of space by clinging onto the edges of the hole. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins as he held onto Strange, a smile present on his face under his mask.

"Yes!" He looked back and saw the spider legs, his eyes widened under the mask as well. "Wait what are those?" He took a few minutes to get a feel for the legs, and he noticed that he could control them. He dipped his body down a few inches, and used the mechanical legs to propel him into the air, holding onto the web attached to Strange.

As Peter and Strange and safely back up towards the control center of the ship, Tony flies over and sprays nanities around the perimeter of the hole, sealing it off from the outside world of space. He sighs and heads back over towards Strange and Peter who get back up onto their feet. As the armor retracts, fitting him back into his old attire, he walks towards the front of the ship, noticing the weird rippling effect in the wormhole, and barely listening to the footsteps behind him.

"We need to turn this ship around." Strange said.

Tony scoffed and clicked his teeth, "now he wants to run." He turns around and flashes Strange his famous, smug Stark smile. "You should be thanking me right about now. Go on, I'm waiting."

"Thank you for what? Nearly blasting me into space?"

"I just saved your magical ass."

"How do you even fit your head into that helmet of yours? Your ego takes up all the space in there."

"I told you to stand down. I tried to bench you, and you refused. Now we're in the middle of space with no backup."

Peter raised his hand, putting a stop to the bickering as he said, "I'm backup."

"No," Tony said sharply, "you're a stowaway. The adults are talking here," he motions a finger between him and Strange.

"I don't understand the relationship here. Wh-what is he, your ward?" Strange asks Peter. The spider teen shakes his head and continues to speak with innocence in his voice.

"No, he's my dad. Well, my adopted dad. Wait, I think I worded that wrong. I meant I'm his adopted son. I'm Peter, by the way."

The sorcerer nodded his head and raised his eyebrows in recognition. "Dr. Strange."

"Oh, we're using our made up names? Uh… I'm Spider-Man, then."

Tony turns his back towards the both of them, looking back at the weird spacial wormhole, and then towards the two panels on both sides of him. "This ship is self-correcting its course. It's on autopilot." He doesn't acknowledge Strange talking to him, but he can faintly hear him asking if they could fly them home. He felt a tingle go up his spine, goosebumps popping up on his skin, his tongue felt like sandpaper, and his eyes started to become heavy. He felt the air become dense, oxygen finding itself harder to fill his lungs, his mind dragging painful memories to the front of his mind.

"Stark," his brain registered his name being called this time, his ears finally tuning in to the louder call of his name, "can you get us home?"

"I don't think that we should." He stated, voice flat.

"Under no circumstance are we to hand over the time stone to Thanos. I don't think you understand what's quite at stake here."

"No, _you_ don't seem to understand," Tony faced Strange, his voice rising in anger, "Thanos has been inside my head for _six years_. He sent an army to New York and now he's _back_. And I don't know what to do. So I'm sorry if I don't know whether it's smarter to fight him on our turf, or bring the fight to him. You saw what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf, he's not expecting it. So _I _say we take the fight to him. _Doctor._ Do you concur?"

Strange took Tony's words to heart, really debating with himself whether or not what he was planning was genuinely a good idea. Tony had a point, however, considering that Thanos had sent these creatures, his _children_, as they call themselves, towards earth and caused countless destruction. So, without much more thought, Strange nodded his head.

"Alright, Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand," his voice got lower, a ghostly whisper as he spoke just to Tony, "if it comes down to you, or the kid, or the time stone, I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the fate of the universe depends on it.

"Nice. Good. Moral Compass. We're straight." He walks over to Peter and looks at his adopted son, clicking his teeth, and letting out a small sigh. "I swear I'm going to regret this." He formally taps Peter's shoulders, in the same way a lord would use his sword to tap the squire's shoulders, dubbing them as a knight. "Congrats, kid. You're an Avenger now." He doesn't look at Peter as he says this, and as he walks away, he swears he can just feel his sons' eyes boring holes into his skull, and he could just feel the smile plastered on his face.

'_I'm so going to regret this.'_

There is no concept of time in outer space, and Tony isn't sure how long they've been flying around for, but sure enough, the coordinates on the ships navigational system shows the word "Titan." He watches floating rock formations go by, barely missing the ship by an inch. An itch of fear attaches itself to Tony's chest as he notices how the ship was starting to scrape against the rocks just a little bit too close for comfort.

"Peter, I'm gonna need your help." He walked over to one of the panels, hand reaching out to grip the steel pole on the inside. He saw Peter copy his motion through his peripheral. "Gonna have to work with me on turning here, buddy. This was designed for one big guy." He re-engaged his helmet, as did Peter, the two of them working together to steer the ship to safety. However, the ringship clips the side of a pillar of rocks, causing the ship to lose about a good one third of it's hull. The ship escalates further towards the rocky surface of the planet, dust and dirt whipping up into the air. Strange steps forward and summons a shield, anticipating a rough landing. The ship crashes into the surface of Titan, skidding along the rocky plains, conjuring up more dust and dirt before it finally halted. Tony panted a little, slightly out of breath from the exertion of energy he had to muster to keep the ship on course as best as possible. He was pulled to his feet by Strange, and he put a hand on the man's shoulder to steady himself.

"I owe you one." Tony said through pants of breath.

"Uh, dad," he looked at Peter who called his name, who stood there a little rigid in his posture, "if aliens end up implanting eggs in my chest or something, and I eat one of you, I'm sorry."

"I don't wanna hear another pop culture reference out of you for the rest of this trip." He said, pointing at Peter.

"I'm trying to say that… Something is coming."

A small object rolls into view towards the heroes, and as they register the object as a grenade, it already detonates and sends them flying in opposite directions. The ship is filled with more footsteps, and the distinct sound of someone yelling "Thanos" at the top of their lungs. As Tony gets to his feet, one of them starts shooting at him. The bullets barely miss his suit, and he fires back at the masked figure, taking off into the air shortly after to catch up with him. They fire at each other, trying to take the other out, Tony shooting a rocket that misses the masked man, but causes an explosion to teeter his flight, sending him sprawling through the air towards Tony, latching onto him and sending both of them sprawling. He throws the mysterious figure off and they land on the ground. A device was taken out of his belt and when he clicked it, Tony looked down and saw a magnetic disk attached to the chest plate of the Iron Man suit, sending him face-first into a random structure inside the ship.

He tries to break free of the device binding him to the structure, but he's not able to move even a few inches. Only when he sees Peter in trouble, an electric cord wrapping around him and the mechanical spider legs, causing him to roll across the deck of the destroyed ship, does he muster up the courage to break away from the structure and render the device useless. He looks down and sees another man, grey ashy skin and red markings on his body, struggling with the cloak of Dr. Strange. He descends from the air as the cloak pulls off, putting his feet on the other man's chest, readying a blast towards his face, as the other man has Peter in a headlock, his gun pointed, pressed firmly against the spider teens skull.

"Alright, everybody, stay where you are. Chill the fuck out." The man swore, retracting his helmet and revealing a man with short brown hair, brown eyes, and a deep scowl on his face, mixed in with anger. "I'm gonna ask you this one time. Where's Gamora?"

"Yeah, I'll do _you_ one better, Tony started, retracting his helmet before continuing, "who's Gamora?"

"I'll do _you_ one better! _Why_ is Gamora!?" The grey skinned, red tattooed man asked. Tony tried very hard no to roll his eyes, barely succeeding with the extreme display of idiocy he had to deal with.

"Tell me where the girl is, or I swear to you, I'm gonna french-fry this little freak." He pushed his gun closer towards Peter's head, eliciting a small whimper from the spider teen.

"Let's do it! You shoot my guy, I blast him. Let's go!" There was a hint of rising anger in Tony's voice as the nanobots morphed his gauntlet into an electric cannon, the opening of the cannon looking like a shark.

"Do it, Quill! I can take it." Tony concluded that the man about to blast his son was named Quill. Well, at least he knew the name of the man who's ass he was going to kick if he continued this bullshit. Not that it really mattered.

"No, he can't take it!" The voice this time coming from the only lady in the room, who had weird antennas protruding from her forehead.

"She's right. You can't." Strange deadpanned.

"Fine, you don't wanna tell me where she is? I'll just kill all three of you and beat it out of Thanos myself. Starting with you." Peter whimpered again as the sound of the gun starting up filled his eardrums, fear gripping his spine tightly.

"Wait, what. Thanos," Strange interjected, trying to halt the situation, "alright let me ask _you_ this one time. What master do you serve?"

Quill's face contorted in confusion, a crease forming between his eyebrows. "What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say? 'Jesus?'"

Tony shared a look of recognition with Strange, the Iron Man's patience renewing himself as he understood exactly _where_ this guy named Quill originated from. "You're from Earth."

"I'm not from Earth. I'm from Missouri."

"Yeah, that's on _Earth_ dip-shit," Tony stated angrily, "what are you hassling us for?"

"So, you're not with Thanos?" Peter said softly.

"_With_ Thanos," Quill said rather loudly, a disgusted look crossing his face, "no I'm here to kill Thanos! He took my girl." Suddenly his facial expression changed to a look of confusion, a crease between his brows forming once more as he asked, "who are you guys?"

Peter's helmet retracted itself as he answered, "we're the Avengers, man." Quill shortly let the spider teen go and he walked away, going over towards Tony's side. The genius rubbed a soothing hand up and down Peter's back, calming his nerves from almost being blasted through the head.

"You're the ones Thor told us about!" The lady with the antennas said rather enthusiastically. Tony's head snapped abruptly in her direction, mouth slightly agape, shock written rather evidently on his face.

"You know Thor!?"

"Yeah. Tall guy, not that good looking," eyebrows were raised at Quill, but he continued speaking nonetheless, "needed saving."

"Where is he now?" Strange asked.

Quill told them about Thor's location, how his hammer had been destroyed, and how his entire home of Asgard was destroyed. The group walked outside and Quill took the liberty of introducing themselves to the other's. The man with grey skinned and red tattoos mattering his body and parts of his face, was Draw, while the lady dressed in somewhat fancy green and black clothing with Antennas protruding from her forehead, was Mantis.

Tony stood off to the side, sitting down on the hard rocky ground, lost in thought, barely keeping his mental together as the day just seemed to drag on and on. Why couldn't he just catch a break? Why do the bad guys always seem to come knocking when he's always trying to fix things; whether it be inventions, the Iron Man suit, or other personal things he would rather not say out loud, or think, it was generally hard for the man of Iron to really find peace in his dangerous life.

He turned his head as another body joined him, and found out that it was Peter. The teenager brought his knees to his chest, resting his chin against his kneecaps, and wrapping his arms around his legs. "You ok there, buddy?" Tony pondered.

"Yeah, Dad, just… Nothing like almost getting blasted in the head to get the blood pumping. You know?" Peter chuckled hesitantly. Tony wrapped an arm around his son, rubbing his hand up and down his shoulder, soothing the distressed boy.

"I'm sorry you had to experience that. Sometimes the life of a superhero is scary."

"Yeah, no kidding." They shared a small, less hesitant chuckle this time, both taking the time to relax. Tony sighed heavily, but didn't say another word. He zoned out for a few minutes, his eyes roving the expanse of the planet, taking in every rock formation, every pillar that looked sturdy, yet fragile to the touch at the same time. He shook his head and blinked rapidly, regaining focus as he heard someone asking a question.

"Excuse me, but… Does your friend often _do_ that?" Mantis inquired, pointing her finger at something off to the side. Tony followed her finger, his gaze finding Strange doing… Strange things. He was cross legged, suspended in the air a few inches, floating just above the ground, meditating as his necklace revealed the time stone. Green vapors swirled the stone, but the strange thing was the way his head rapidly snapped in multiple directions, it was worry inducing.

Tony gets up from his spot next to Peter and rushes over to Strange, kneeling down a few inches in front of him, saying, "Strange!? We alright?" The sorcerer abruptly stops, letting out a startled yelp and falling forward, only to be caught by Tony.

"You're back. You're alright." Tony reassured him.

"Hey, what was that?" Peter inquired.

"I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes."

"How many did you see?" Quill asked.

"14,000,605."

"How many did we win?" Tony didn't like how Strange paused at his question, looking at him with a gaze that spoke volumes, converting every ounce of fear the sorcerer had through their gaze.

"One." He whispered. Tony didn't like those odds, not one bit. He looked back at everyone else, his gaze finally settling on Peter's. The spider teen smiled at him, and he smiled back. The odds of this outcome being in their favor were slim, and if Tony could do anything about it, then he would damn well make sure that this fight would hopefully stop Thanos.

"Alright," he said, standing up and moving away from Strange to look at the rest of the group, "we're gonna make a plan."

They spent the next few minutes bickering - well, Tony and Quill bickered, not because of disagreement of the plan, but because Quill was wondering why Tony was the one coming up with the plan, but he eventually relented and listened. It was a long shot that he was willing to take, but if it meant saving the universe, and more importantly the people he cared about, then he was willing to risk the odds.

Time slowly ticks away, and the seconds turn into minutes, and the minutes turn into hours as the rest of them wait, all except for Strange who sits by his lonesome self, waiting for Thanos to appear. Soon enough, a chill runs through the air, a portal materializing from thin air, and a tall, purple skinned creature appears from within.

"Oh, yeah, you're much more of a Thanos." Strange snarked.

"I take it Maw is dead. This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he completed his mission." Thanos spoke with an edge to his voice, causing a shiver to go down Tony's spine from his hiding place.

"You may regret that. He brought you face to face with the master of the mystic arts." The edge of the Mad Titans lip curved slightly upwards, a hint of a smile on his face.

"And where do you think he brought you?" He curled his fist that was covered by the gauntlet, the red reality stone shimmering bright as day as the once desolated rocky planet's surface changed, the color green overpowering the one dirt red color. It was a beautiful planet indeed, vibrant hues of colors splashing together, the air not as thick, fresh with the scent of flowers, small ponds scattered around the area. It was breathtaking, but the sad truth of what happened to this planet was all thanks to Thanos. The planet was on the brink of collapse and extinction, and he offered a solution that would solve everything.

_Genocide._

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat as Thanos continued to reveal to Strange his plot for wanting the infinity stones. To Thanos, earth is another planet in his eyes that needs 'salvation.' Too many mouths to feed, not enough food to go around, on the brink of collapse. He wanted all six infinity stones to wipe away half of all life with a single snap; it was even more detrimental on Tony not knowing exactly _who_ would be snapped and who wouldn't, if they were to fail. No, he couldn't think like that, they were going to stop Thanos now, even if it costs him his life. He waits patiently atop the floating rock pillar, just waiting for the signal.

"I think you'll find our will… Equal to yours." Strange says, summoning his mystic shields on both his hands, taking a fighting stance.

The Mad Titan raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to the side. In a low voice he questions, "ours?" He looks up and a floating rock formation slams down on top of him, Tony flying away from the top after shoving the obstruction onto Thanos.

"Piece of cake, Quill." He remarks.

"Yeah," he triggers his mask, taking off into the air with Tony, "if your goal was to piss him off!"

A mighty, rage filled roar was heard, followed by a blinding purple light from the pillar that Tony tried squashing Thanos under. The rock formation exploded, fragments lingering in the air for only a few seconds before the shimmering red from the reality stone enveloped the stone fragments, turning them into bats that were thrown by Thanos into Tony, swarming him and sending him through the ruins of the once beautiful planet.

The rest of the group springs into action, Peter flying through the air on his webs, getting into close proximity to Thanos and webbing his eyes, delivering a kick to his face soon after. Drax leaps from his hiding spot to knee slide behind Thanos, both of his blades in his hand, going for a tendon slice across the back of Thanos' knee. Strange appeared through a portal as drax tried to slice at Thanos again, deflecting Drax's attack and then turning around to catch and break Strange's mystic sword, attempting to kick him a few feet back, but the sorcerer summoned a shield to block the attack, causing him to stagger back a few inches rather than a few feet.

A shot was fired at the Mad Titans back, Quill bounding across the rocky terrain from pads conjured from Strange as he staggered Thanos. Quickly recovering, the titan uses the power stone to shoot tendrils or purple energy at Quill, who bounds across the field thanks to Dr. Stranges' magical platforms, jumping over Thanos and placing a miniature bomb onto his back, then proceeding to flip him off and say "boom" before falling back into a portal as the bomb exploded. The explosion knocks Thanos to his knees, dazzling him briefly.

Strange tells his cloak in a soft whisper not to let Thanos close his fist. The cloak slips off of Stranges' shoulders and wraps itself around the gauntlet, making it impossible for the titan to close his fist. He starts to pull at the cloak as best as possible, but not only is it wrapped around tightly, but there's also another distraction he has to take care of.

"Magic." Peter said, flying out of a portal to kick Thanos in the face. "More magic." He yanks Thanos' head down hard, vanishing into another portal. "Magic with a kick." Flying kick to the face, disappearing into one more portal. "Magic with a-"

A hand closes around his throat, slamming him to the ground. Angry eyes and gritted teeth staring down at him. "Insect!" Thanos yelled, throwing Peter at Strange, knocking them both down. Thanos tears away the cloak wrapped around the gauntlet, and then is surrounded by fiery explosions as Tony bombards him. The titan uses the power stone to absorb the flames, redirecting them back at Tony, sending him far away, his body plowing through a massive discard piece of forgotten machinery etched into the planet.

Peter leaps back into action, webbing the gauntlet and pulling with all his might. Unfortunately even with super strength coursing through his veins, he was yanked off of his feet and pulled towards the towering villain, flipping backwards in the air and landing on his back hard after the villain punched him on his way past. He tears the webbing off of the gauntlet, and then suddenly, he was dragged across the rocky field as a ship crashed into him. He rolls across the surface as the ship comes to a complete halt. He gets to his feet as the pilot comes jumping out of the ship at an arc, punching him in the face and readying an energy blade. She was part human, and part robot, the mechanical side of her taking over more parts of her body as she stared down the Mad Titan.

"Well, well." He says slowly.

"You should've killed me." She says through gritted teeth.

"Would've been a waste of parts!"

As anger filled her to the core, she charged at Thanos, striking him over and over with precision, barraging him with a flurry of her energy blade. He grew tired of the assault and as he blocked another strike for her weapon, he punched her away, flinging her across the field.

Red tendrils of solid metal wrap around the gauntlet, and as Thanos turned his head, he noticed the tendrils coming from Strange. He gripped at the solid material, but Drax slid once more behind Thanos and kicked him behind his knee, knocking him off balance, allowing him to wrap his arms around his leg to keep him in place. Quill threw an electrical trap on the ground near Thanos' right, rendering the appendage useless in trying to take off the tendrils gripping the gauntlet. Peter wraps a web around the Mad Titans body, pulling backwards and digging the mechanical spider legs of his suit into the ground to anchor himself as he pulls. Tony flies over to the gauntlet as Strange portals Mantis in on the back of Thanos, allowing her to place both her hands on his forehead, trying to lull him to sleep so Tony can pull the gauntlet off of him. It effectively worked, with Thanos incapacitated, but not fully asleep, Tony and Peter were able to start working on getting the gauntlet off.

Disaster struck when Quill had asked Thanos where Gamora, his sweet, oh so very sweet and dangerous lover Gamora, was located. The titan in his inebriated state let out small groans of anguish and regret, Mantis informing the so called Star-Lord that Thanos was mourning. It was at this moment that the truth about where his lover was revealed. The half human, half robot that Quill knew as Gamora's sister, Nebula, informed him that Gamora had told Thanos where the location of the soul stone was. While Thanos returned with the soul stone, Gamora, had sadly not. Realization, as well as rage, coursed through Quills veins as a prickling sensation behind his eyes started to form as he slowly turned back towards the Mad Titan. Tony and Peter were close to getting the gauntlet off, and while Quill knew that, he let the rage consume him. He pistol-whipped Thanos twice, breaking the hold Mantis had on him, allowing the Titan to regain consciousness. Tony flew over to stop Quill from what he was doing, but it was too late. He headbutted Mantis, regained his hold on the gauntlet that was about to come off, threw her across the field, kicks Drax in to Nebula and Quill, yanks on the crimson bands holding his right hand, throwing Strange far away, and swats away Tony and his repulsor shots, finally being able to put the gauntlet back on.

He turns around as Drax, Nebula and Quill start to charge at him. He sends a pulse wave of energy from the power stone at them, knocking them unconscious.

Tony zooms back into action, the left arm of his nanite suit morphed into a blade. He takes a swipe at Thanos, but he quickly blocks it with his gauntlet, head butting the Iron hero to the ground shortly after. He turns back and locates Titans moon, raising his gauntlet to the moon and ripping it from its place in outer space with the power stone and space stone, into the atmosphere of Titan. It cracks into fragments as he sends the broken moon down onto Tony. The Iron Man flies to try and avoid the falling debris, but is caught by a chunk of the broken moon and slammed into the ground. The rocky surface of Titan cracked, bits and pieces of debris flying into the air, as well as the unconscious guardians.

Peter takes it upon himself to leap into the air, avoiding chunks of debris floating and falling from the air to catch the suspended Guardians of the Galaxy floating in the air. He can feel the immense amount of pressure this is on him, and while he knows he's physically capable of doing this, it's the emotional instability he's having trouble with. His mind is racing faster than his actions are processing, and for a split second as he reels in Quill, he wonders if he really thought this through.

Strange is busy keeping Thanos distracted by using his mystic arts, while the Mad Titan uses the stones to his advantage. A crackle of lighting from Strange, a burst of indigo energy from the power stone from Thanos, the two halves of unknown power, alien and mystic clashing. Strange summons multiple copies of himself that splay around Thanos, confusing him. The copies summon the same red tendrils at Thanos, wrapping not only around the gauntlet, but around the villains entire form as well. It didn't last long however, as the combination of the soul and power stone reveal the true Dr. Strange. Reality and space stones pull the real form of the sorcerer towards the all powerful being right into his grasp.

"You're full of tricks, Wizard." He reaches for the Eye of Agamotto; the necklace that hangs from Stranges' neck. He snaps the eye off it's chains, crushing it within his bare hand. Confusion sets in stone as he looks at his palm, no time stone sitting carefully in his palm. "A fake." He sneers. He throws Strange across the field, body rolling across stone just hard enough that when his head connects to the stone, he passes out.

The Mad Titan walks precariously towards Strange, gauntleted hand about to close when a red and gold device clamps onto the gauntlet, opening his hand and preventing the Titan from using the power of the stones. Another red and gold blur drops down in front of Thanos, and he can clearly hear the venom lacing off of every word as he speaks.

"You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna lose it."

He chuckles to himself quietly, acknowledging the others presence. "Stark."

"You know me?"

"I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."

Under the helmet, Tony grits his teeth as he speaks again. "My only curse is _you._" Small micro rockets protrude from the back of Tony's suit, whizzing through the air at Thanos and creating a cloud of smoke. Tony flies forward before the smoke clears, using his super-jet boot configuration to pile drive Thanos back a few steps as the smoke clears. He bounces off the Titans chest, flipping in the air and sticking the landing. He reconfigues his boots into clamps that dig themselves into the ground, his gauntlets turning into rocket-driven battering rams that he uses to punch Thanos into a ruined wall.

Thanos shakes off the impact quickly, reaching forward and tearing off the Iron Man helmet, revealing his face to the Mad Titan. Tony's eyes are wide, an expression greater than shock; fear etched into every fine detail of his face where the shock doesn't reach, giving Thanos a view at just how frightened Tony really is. The nanites work fast to replace the helmet, concealing Tony's face once more. Through the shock and fear, Thanos punches Tony a few feet away, giving him time to rip off the clamp holding his hand open. He closes his hand and uses the power stone to shoot an indigo ray of energy as Tony gets up to his feet, barely having enough time to form a shield to kneel behind. The force of the ray pushes him back further away from the Titan. Tony twists his body to deter the ray away from him and flies toward his opponent, kicking him with his left foot and turning that same foot into a clamp that keeps the gauntlet to the ground, twisting his body full force with another rocket-driven battering ram to Thanos' face, cutting the skin on the cheek of the Mad Titan.

"All that for a drop of blood." He smiles briefly, another shock of fear coursing through Tony as Thanos punches him, sending him pinwheeling into the air. He lands on his back and tries to get up, but the Titan is already looming over him. He relentlessly punches at Tony, some hits connecting and damaging the helmet of the suit, pain blossoming over the impact, and some hits being blocked by his forearms. He was picked up by his neck, and shot in the mid section with the power stone, chipping away more pieces of the suit. The nanites tried to repair the damage, to conceal his eyes that shined bright with unimaginable fear as he shot a laser of energy from both of his hands, the beams being reflected by the gauntlet as the Titan walked slowly over to him, like a predator about to kill its prey. The Titan looms over him once more, unfazed by any form of resistance Tony throws at him. He backhands the incomplete helmet off of Tony's head, revealing the absolute form of complete terror in his eyes. Thanos brings down his gauntlet to strike Tony, who barely blocks it with both his arms. He aims a bunch towards Thanos, the Titan catching the weak attempt in his gauntlet. With a last ditch effort, he uses the remaining bitch of his suit left arm to summon a short sword on the right, but as he goes to try and stab Thanos with it, the Mad Titan was steps ahead of him, moving out of the way, breaking off the sword, and thrusting it deep into Tony's left side.

A huge wave of shock mixed with pain shot through Tony's body as he was slowly being pushed back with the blade located deeply in his left side. He could feel the blood dripping down from his mouth, and the way the blood pooled around the edges of the sword. His breathing was compromised, small gasps the only way oxygen could enter his weak lungs. He was carefully placed in a sitting position, glossy eyes staring into cold dead ones, a gentle caress of his head from the cold gauntlet before Thanos pulled back. Blood continued to drool from his mouth slowly as he looked at his opponent, raising the gauntlet towards him, all stones shiny at him. There was nothing he could do to stop it either, he was going to die right here. What a cruel and cold way to go indeed.

"Stop!" A weak voice resounded somewhere to his left. He moved his head slowly and saw the voice belonging to Strange. "Spare his life… And I'll give you the stone."

"Don't…" Tony said weakly, a small cough followed after, and another wave of pain coursing through his body, small wisps of air taken in only adding to the pain.

"No tricks?" The Titan asked, walking cautiously over to the sorcerer, all four stones pointed at him instead. Strange shakes his head and holds out his point and thumb, concentrating and bringing forth the time stone between his two fingers. Thanos holds out the gauntlet, letting the time stone float cautiously over to him, taking its place in the open slot on the thumb. A surge of energy fills and he smiles down at the gauntlet, whispering, "one to go." He disappeared the same way he came; a portal conjuring behind him out of thin air, his form disappearing behind the veil of the portal.

Tony's head teetered from side to side, white blurs dancing across his vision due to severe blood loss. He raises a shaky hand close to the wound, slowly taking out the blade nestled deep into his side. A choke gasp, followed by a gargle of blood as the blade fell from his grasp after he took it out. He raised his shaky hand again to the wound, a steady stream of nanites effectively closing off the wound, stopping the bleeding. He looked at Strange again, his eyes heavy, and asked, "why would you do that?"

The sorcerer looks at him, a defeated look crosses his face as he responds, "we're in the endgame now." Tony's breathing even out as he lays there, staring into the blanket of rubble and debris around him.

'_It's all up to you Steve.'_

* * *

His heartbeat was loud in his own ears, sweat glistening off his forehead, flinging into the air with every punch. His body ached, but he continued to punch and fend off these creatures, the outriders onslaught never ceasing to stop, not even for a fraction of a second. His hair was jostled in different directions, some of it getting into his face as well, but he ignored it and focused on the battle. There were too many of them, and he noticed everybody was starting to fall. Some massacred by the strong jaws and sharp nails these creatures had, some still continuing to fight despite the bleeding wounds they carried, Steve willed himself to continue fighting, despite how his body protested, and told him how tired he was really getting. One of the outriders jumped onto him, it's teeth bared, claws ripping some of the fabric of his suit. He held the creature out of reach, unable to harm him any further as he drove one of his shields into the neck and chest cavity of this vile menace, putting an end to it's life. It was carnage, the field stank of blood; whether it was the outriders' blood, or human blood, it didn't matter, Wakanda was never going to be the same.

All hope seemed lost for Steve, the mass horde not thinning out even in the slightest. Was this how Steve was going to meet his untimely end? There were many things the serum gave him, an increased metabolism, super strength and speed, even a regenerative factor, but through all of that, he was still human, he was still susceptible to death. He continued to fight through the fear, but it only seemed to last for a fraction of a second before a loud noise thundered across the battlefield. A flash of lighting was seen later, followed by the brief outline of an Ax being thrown, slicing off, and killing any outrider who was in it's way. The Ax continued to boomerang across the field, and like any boomerang, it returned to its owner, and the owner was none other than The God of Thunder himself, Thor.

"Oh, you guys are so screwed now!" Banner yelled from inside the hulkbuster. The tides of the battle shifted and everyone could feel it. The outriders grew more aggressive, while the spirits of those fighting against them had lifted, giving them a secure sense of hope.

"Bring me Thanos!" The god bellowed, lifting off into the air with his Ax, followed by a Racoon and a tree. It was a weird sight for Steve to see, but he was too preoccupied with seeing Thor again to care. He continued to fight as the God of Thunder lay waste to the vile creatures, not feeling any signs of fatigue, while Steve dealt with any stray outriders who were unlucky enough not to be slain by the Asgardian. As Steve killed another one of the creatures, he realized just how tired he really was. He panted, stopping to take a breather as Thor happily joined next to him, looking energetic and lively.

"I notice you've copied my beard." Thor remarks happily. Steve nods his head and wearily gestures to his face. He then looks over Thor and realizes the God's once long hair, was now a lot shorter than what it used to be.

"New haircut?" The Asgardian grins at him. A small roar was heard to the side of them, casting their gaze in that direction. It was the same tree that Steve had noticed was with Thor earlier when he made his grand entrance.

"By the way, this is a friend of mine. Tree." He gestured towards the tree with his weapon.

"I am GROOT!" It yells.

Steve brings a hand up to his chest and says formally, but also bemused, "I am Steve Rogers."

"Guys, Visions been compromised." He heard from the communication device in his ear.

"Somebody get to Vision now." Steve commanded.

"I got him!" Bruce replied, taking off in the Hulkbuster to go after the android.

Steve looked around the battlefield and then at Thor, asking, "you think you can handle this?" The Asgardian merely grinned back and clasps his weapon in one hand, sighing happily.

"I think I got it covered. Go get the Vision, I'll meet up with you later." He took up into the sky, going back to hacking down the outriders, driving them back. Steve wasted no time in running off in the direction Banner went. He made it into the woods after taking down a few more outriders trying to leap at him.

"Guys! Vision needs back up now!" Banner's voice ringed in his ear again. He traversed the dense thicket of trees and bushes, trying to locate the android harboring the mind stone. He heard a disturbance in the distance, the sound of Vision screaming in pain and followed it. He arrived just in time to see Corvus Glaive, looming over Vision with his spear, about to retrieve the stone from his head. Steve ran at the alien full force, knocking both of them over and onto the ground.

"Get out of here!" He yells at Vision as Corvus gets up. He gets to his feet as well just in time as Corvus tries to attack him. He nails him twice with his arm-shields, knocking the creature back again. He turns around and looks at Vision just sitting there. "GO!" He yells once more.

He turns yet again to Corvus advancing on him with his weapon, blocking the attacks with his shield and landing hits of his own with his arm-shields. He finally disarms the alien, sending his spear across the grassy floor. Steve goes for another strike at the creatures fast, but Corvus was quick to block it, and grabbed Steve by the throat. Steve closed his eyes and grit his teeth as pressure was applied to his neck, the grip strong and constricting. He was thrown into the side of a log harshly, his side screaming in pain as he rolled onto his back from the throw. Corvus pounced on him before he could get up, hand clasping tightly around his neck once more, constricting his airway. Steve grit his teeth once more and closed his eyes, trying to use his super strength to pry the vice like grip off his throat, but to no avail. Suddenly the grip loosened, and as he opened his eyes, he saw the same weapon inside the creature's chest, Vision standing triumphantly behind him. He drops both of them onto the ground, Corvus lying limp on the floor as Visions body gives out. He gets up to his feet as fast as he can to stop Visions body from hitting the floor, holding him close.

"I thought I told you to go." He scolds, getting both of them back up onto their feet.

"We don't trade lives, Captain." Steve smiled as he lays Vision back down onto the log, ignoring the pain in his side. As he sets the android down, the rest of the Avengers find their location, Wanda rushing past him to go by Vision's side.

"Are you okay?" She asks in a hushed voice. Before he could answer, pain courses through the android once more, scaring Wanda as her hands reach up to hold his cheeks. "What? What is it?"

"_He's here_."

The wind picks up, it feels almost… Strange. A chill runs down Steve's spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, goosebumps littering his skin as the others stand at his side. In the distance, a small crackled of smoke appears, and it expands in the distance. Steve's breath is caught in his throat as the towering purple figure of Thanos, appears right before their eyes.

"Cap," he turns to Bruce, "that's him." He nods his head and turns back towards the Mad Titan, who slowly walks towards them, eyes focused on Vision.

He re-engages his arm-shields and says, "eyes up. Stay sharp." He and the rest of the Avengers, except for Wanda, march their way up towards Thanos, trying to halt the advance of the Mad Titan.

Wanda watches his fearful eyes as he teammates, her family, fall one by once. Bruce was the first to try and stop him, but the space stone stopped his advance and he found himself lodged within the structure of a stone cliff, freezing him in place. Steve is sent flying into the air by the purple mist of energy radiating from the power stone, knocking him onto the ground. T'Challa leaps into the air with his claws extended, but Thanos grabs him by the neck and punches him to the ground. Sam fires his pistols at the Titan in the air, but his wings become rubber and he falls to the ground as well. Wanda's eyes only tear away from the carnage as Vision grabs her arm and speaks to her.

"Wanda. It's time."

"No."

"They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can. You have the power to destroy the stone." She shakes her head and swallows the lump in her throat, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Wanda, please. We. Are. Out of time." Vision emphasized his point. She shakes her head again, as she looks into the eyes of her lover, her heart setting ablaze inside her chest.

"I can't." She whispers.

"Yes, you can. If he gets the stone, half the universe dies."

"It's not fair." She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They cascaded down her face, a small sob escaping her throat as Vision cupped her face, whipping away the tears with his thumb.

"It shouldn't be you, but it is. It's alright," he reassures you, a sad smile on his face, "you could never hurt me. I just… Feel you." She lets out a shaky breath, nodding her head and bringing up a shaky hand to his forehead, shooting out red beaming energy at the mind stone. She concentrated her energy on the stone, looking behind her as the other's continued to try and slow the Titan down.

Rhodey joined the fight, firing his pistols at Thanos. The Titan used the space stone to crush the suit, rendering the suit useless, and tossing him onto the ground. Bucky fires his gun, only to be punched away by the indigo energy of the power stone. Okoye and Natasha rush at Thanos, Okoye throws her spear at him, stopping near inches from him by the power stone, and being flung back by the same indigo energy that blasted Bucky to the ground. Natasha didn't get to make it far as the ground beneath her erupted, roots from the earth wrapping around her, encasing her in an inescapable tomb. Groot pushes his arms into the earth, creating vines that flow through the ground and encase Thanos, but the Titan easily breaks them and continues his advance.

Wanda turns away for a moment, increasing the intensity of the energy being pushed into the stone, turning back again, her eyes widening, tears flowing faster down her face as she watches Steve's effort in fending him off. He throws a punch with his arm-shields, one into Thanos chin and another in his gut. The Titan looks down at him, reaching out to grab his neck and toss him out of the way, but with a remarkable display of strength, Steve keeps the gauntlet open, his teeth gritted as he pushes back with as much strength as he can muster. Thanos stares at him, impressed, but he raises his other hand and punches Steve in the head, rendering him insensible.

Wanda stares at Thanos coming closer to her, with quick thinking she uses her free hand to shoot scarlet energy at him, pushing him back despite him using the power stone to push forward. He slowly starts to push forward however, and Wanda looks back at Vision. She can see his mouth moving, but the words are lost on her ears as her adrenaline is high. She focuses on him, heart breaking as she heard the three words as the stone started to crack.

"I love you." He said softly. She fights back a sob as she watches her lovers form start to crack, the stone cracking under the pressure of scarlet energy. He closes his eyes, a joyful, peaceful expression on his face as the stone ruptures and explodes, a pulse of pure yellow energy coursing through the forest, shuddering the trees around his epicenter. Wanda slumps onto the ground, letting the sobs wracked her body as she mourns the death of her lover.

"I understand my child. Better than anyone." She heard Thanos say, gently caressing her hair as she sobbed.

"You could never." She snarled, each word dripping with venom. He took mind to her words, gently caressing her hair once more before he smiled to himself and held up his gauntlet.

"I lost more than you could know. But now is not the time to mourn. Now… Is no time at all." She raised her head slowly, watching as green filigree surrounded his wrist, a symbol of some sorts appearing in the air as he twisted his hand counterclockwise. Time rewound itself as she noticed the yellow pulse of energy from Vision returning back to where his body originally exploded. Her eyes widened as she saw the form of her lover once more, unbroken, perfectly intact.

"No!" She screamed, getting up to her feet to stop Thanos, but she swatted back and away from them. The Titan grabbed the android and held him eye-to-eye level, digging his fingers into the forehead of the android, eliciting grunts and gasps of pain. Once the stone is pulled loose, Vision's body goes limp and colorless. He smiles down at his prize, throwing Vision off to the side and placing the mind stone in the center of the gauntlet, completing the set. A surge of power coursed through him, color lights ascending up his body and he bellows in response.

As the Titan relishes in victory and looks at the gauntlet, a massive bolt of lightning shoots from the sky, hitting him in the chest and digging him into the ground. The Mad Titan gets back up quickly and looks up into the sky to see Thor, eyes glowing blue with power as he holds Stormbreaker in his hand. Thanos fires a beam of energy from all the stones at Thor, the God of Thunder hurls his weapon at the Mad Titan, cutting the beam in half and ebbing itself into the chest cavity of Thanos, hear his heart. The Titan howls in pain as he drops to one knee, weak from the blow he suffered. Thor walks over to him, rage etched deep into his face as he put one hand on the back of Thanos' head, and his other hand on Stormbreaker.

"I told you. You'd die for that." He says low enough for Thanos to hear, referring to something only the two knew about. He pushes the Ax deeper into the Titans chest, a bellow of pain ringing out into the air.

"You should have…" Thanos says weakly, "you…" he grabs Thor's hand, his head slowly raising as he looks into the angry eyes of the Asgardian. A sick smile on his lips as he held up his fingers, "you should have gone for the head." Thor's eyes widened as he saw the motion of his fingers.

"No!" He yelled, as Thanos snapped his fingers. A blinding white life engulfed the area, but everything remained the same as it was. The only difference in the situation was the smoking, damaged gauntlet, and the stones devoid of life, but not power.

"What'd you do?" Thor asks shakily at first. Anger renews itself as the Mad Titan doesn't respond to him, and asks angrily, "what'd you do!?" Thanos doesn't seem to notice Thor at all as he uses the space stone to summon a portal, disappearing into thin air and leaving Strombreaker on Wakandan soil.

Steve finally regains consciousness after being hit in the head viciously. He halts getting to his feet as his body screams in pain, his left side screaming louder than everything else. It reminds him of Siberia, when he fell onto it and bruised his ribs. He swallowed the lump in his throat and hissed through his teeth as he got to his feet, hand clasped onto his left side, walking over to Thor.

"Where'd he go?" He asked the Asgardian. He was met with silence, so he asked again, more quietly this time, "Thor… Where'd he go?"

"Steve." He turned and noticed Bucky, walking over to him weirdly. He drops his gun and his body starts to turn a sickening dark color. As he falls forward, his body turns to ash. Steve was paralyzed with fear, his best friend just… Disappeared in front of him, vanished into thin air, leaving behind dark ash from where he was. Steve falls to his knees, his eyes roving around the area until they settle on Wanda.

"W-Wanda?" He calls for her, voice shaking. She looks at him from her spot for mourning Vision, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment, before she, too, disappears into thin air, leaving behind a trail of ash. He pants heavily, body slumping towards the ground, too paralyzed to do anything. He didn't notice how Okoye witnessed T'Challa disappear before her eyes, or the way Sam disappeared alone, nobody noticing him after Thanos discarded him. He didn't hear the way Rocket the Racoon mourned over Groot disappearing before his eyes either, he simply stared at the dead body of Vision. He turned the android over and noticed the gaping hole where the mind stone used to be, bile burning at his throat as he thought more. A hand was placed on his shoulder, his gaze following it and noticing Natasha. He was grateful that she was still here, but there was one person he couldn't physically tell was here.

"Oh, God." He whispered, fearing the worst that not only did they just lose the fight; that _Steve_ just lost the fight for the fate of the world, but the realization that made the bile travel its way from his stomach and out his mouth, caused the burning sensation in his throat, and the painful way he dry heaved after all contents of his stomach left through his mouth, was the sickening realization that he didn't know if Tony was alive or not.

* * *

The planet of Titan was eerily silent, Tony's own weak breath making its way to his ears. He rested his head on the slab of rock behind him, gaze casted out to look at everyone. Something seemed… Off to him, however, and his suspicion was concluded when he heard the sound of thunder, followed by a wisp of something flowing through the wind. His eyes widened as he stared at the Guardians of the Galaxy, Mantis being the first once to go. He saw her hands start to go first, bits of ash flying into the air until her entire body faded into just ash, casted aside, and forgotten in the air.

He then noticed Drax next, looking at his teammate with hints of confusion at what was going on. He, too, disintegrated, leaving behind a trail of ash to be casted away into the wind. He saw Quill, watching himself fade as well, a sad expression casted over his face for all to witness, and nothing could be done. It was a sick, twisted, disgusting way to go, making those watching paralyzed with fear, not knowing who was next, or if they themselves were going to fade away.

Tony's eyes shook with fear, the lump in his throat prominent as he watched all the Guardians except for Nebula, turn into ash in front of his very eyes. He turned his head and looked at Strange, who seemed to already have looked at him. No words came out of his mouth, too scared to cast them into the air, but Strange already knew what he wanted to ask. So he answered, "there was no other way," before he, too, evaporated.

"Dad," his heart felt like it just stopped, "I don't feel so good." His eyes quivered violently as he turned slowly to look at his son. Terror shined bright in Peter's eyes, replicated by his own as the teenager made his way to his father figure. Tony stood up on shaky feet, meeting Peter halfway, wrapping their arms around each other, Tony kissing Peter's hair, whispering into his ear that everything is going to be ok.

"I don't know what's- I don't know what's happening. I don't," a sob escapes past Peter's lips, effectively breaking Tony's heart and letting the tears flow down his face as he holds his dying son in his arms, "I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go. Dad, please. I don't wanna go." There was nothing Tony could do as he saw the tell tale signs of ash floating up into his vision. He dropped to his knees as Peter continued to hold onto him tightly, Tony holding on tight as well, powerless to do anything. He gently laid his son on the rocky surface of Titan, their eyes meeting, both with tears staining their cheeks. Peter's sobs continued to fill his ears, and he didn't know how to make the pain go away. He couldn't promise that he would be ok, because Peter knew he was dying in front of his father figure, and even he couldn't deny that. It tore Tony's heart in two as Peter smiled at him, despite the pain he was in, despite the fact he was disappearing before his eyes, he _smiled_, and whispered, "I'm sorry," before fading into nothingness.

"He did it." He heard Nebula whisper. The shock didn't hit him fully until his tears hit the surface of Titan, and he let out a scream in anguish. Sobs wracked his body as he knelt there, mourning over the loss of his son. His hand clenched into fists as he continued to mourn. A sickening realization settled over him. Peter faded in front of his eyes, but what if… What if _Steve_ also didn't survive the snap.

Thanos had gotten what he wanted; he got ultimate power from all six Infinity Stones, and wiped out half of all life in the universe. He won in the end of all of this, but for Tony and Steve?

_They lost everything._

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**And, yeah, that's the end of this story. The first installment that is. Still gotta write about Endgame and fix all this stuff up. I still have to see if the chapters follow the entire plot, since I introduced the entire "Steve Rogers bodyguard" concept, and hopefully I kept that intact. If anybody notices when I strayed away from that, feel free to point out the chapter and I'll fix it!**

**This was actual my first ever story I wrote, and it was an emotional roller coaster; from anxiousness to even post on here, to happiness from seeing people actually liked the story, and finishing up here with accomplishment of finishing this! It was a wild ride.**

**Other than that, I just wanted to say congratulations for making it this far and finishing the story! I'm happy that you liked my story, or at least wanted to see how it ended haha. Hope you enjoyed the ride for those of you who favorited and followed the story.**

**I accept any an all constructive criticism and positive feedback. Let me know how I did or things you want me to fix and I will see what I can do, or elaborate on anything!**

**I'll be working on the second half, but I also have other stories on my mind, so I should say look out for the second installment (I will specify the sequel when I post it), as well as other stories I will be posting. Love you all, and hope you're staying healthy and safe!**

**Until next time! Bye!**


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